State-to-State Dynamics of High-n Rydberg H-Atom Scattering with D2

Abstract

Full quantum-state resolved scattering of a highly excited Rydberg H atom with ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ has been carried out using the Rydberg H-atom time-of-flight method. A detailed analysis of the experimental results shows that both inelastic and reactive scatterings are significant in the $\mathrm{H}(n)\text{ }\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}{\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ collisions, and nuclear spin is conserved in the inelastic scattering process. The differential cross sections for the $\mathrm{H}(n)\text{ }\mathrm{\text{\ensuremath{-}}}{\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ reaction measured in this work are then compared with the results for the ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ reaction with ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ in an ion beam scattering experiment. The remarkable agreement between the two experiments suggests that the Fermi independent-collider model is valid even at the full quantum state-to-state scattering level, providing a promising tool for investigating the state-to-state dynamics of certain elementary ion-molecule reactions.