A comparative study of classical and semiclassical models of the H⁺-Na^*(3p) charge exchange process

Abstract

The electron capture process from Na*(3p+or-1)) atoms by a proton has been studied both classically and semiclassically in the energy range from 1 to 10 keV. In the classical model, we have developed a three-body classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) method with both a Coulomb potential and a model potential for the e--Na+ interaction. In the semiclassical model an adiabatic molecular basis including an electron translation factor is employed to describe the electronic wavefunction. When the e--Na+ interaction is described by a model potential, at large impact parameter the CTMC probabilities are in good agreement with the semiclassical molecular probabilities at low energies and with the semiclassical atomic probabilities at higher energies.