Quantum theory of a particle oscillator collision applied to gas-surface interactions at cryogenic temperatures
Quantum theory of particle-harmonic oscillator collision applied to gas-surface interactions at cryogenic temperatures
Smith, J. D.↗
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Theory of proton-hydrogen collisions.
Proton-hydrogen collision analysis using impact parameter method of theory of excitation and charge exchange
PROTON IMPACT↗
Theory of the collision-induced rotational spectrum of tetrahedral molecules.
Tetrahedral molecule octopole moment related to integrated absorption of collision induced rotational spectrum
Fox, K.↗
Semiclassical theory of electronically nonadiabatic transitions in molecular collision processes
An introductory account of the semiclassical theory of the S-matrix for molecular collision processes is presented, with special emphasis on electronically nonadiabatic transitions. This theory is based on the incorporation of classical mechanics with quantum superposition, and in practice makes use of the analytic continuation of classical mechanics into the complex space of time domain. The relevant concepts of molecular scattering theory and related dynamical models are described and the formalism is developed and illustrated with simple examples - collinear collision of the A+BC type. The theory is then extended to include the effects of laser-induced nonadiabatic transitions. Two bound continuum processes collisional ionization and collision-induced emission also amenable to the same general semiclassical treatment are discussed.
Lam, K. S.↗
Collisional redistribution of radiation in strong fields - Modification of the collision dynamics
The theory of light scattering from an atom undergoing collisions is extended to the case of strong laser fields. In particular, the conditions necessary to relate the observable quantities to intense-field collisional rate constants in a dressed-state basis are considered. It is shown that by studying the spectrum emitted by the atoms in the presence of a strong field one may measure the collisional rates for transfer between the dressed states of atom plus radiation field.
Burnett, K.↗
Escape of stars during the collision of two galaxies
Theory of star escape during collision of galaxies
STAR↗
On the alleged collisional origin of the Kirkwood Gaps
This paper examines two proposed mechanisms whereby asteroidal collisions and close approaches may have given rise to the Kirkwood Gaps. The first hypothesis is that asteroids in near-resonant orbits have markedly increased collision probabilities and so are preferentially destroyed, or suffer decay in population density, within the resonance zones. A simple order-of-magnitude analysis shows that this hypothesis is untenable since it leads to conclusions which are either unrealistic or not in accord with present understanding of asteroidal physics. The second hypothesis is the Brouwer-Jefferys theory that collisions would smooth an asteroidal distribution function, as a function of Jacobi constant, thus forming resonance gaps. This hypothesis is examined by direct numerical integration of 50 asteroid orbits near the 2:1 resonance, with collisions simulated by random variables. No tendency to form a gap was observed.
Heppenheimer, T. A.↗
Transformation theory and translation factors in inelastic atomic collisions
It is shown through the use of transformation theory that unique semiclassical atomic scattering states which obey the asymptotic conditions of formal scattering theory can be derived by transforming 'nontraveling' atomic states, ie., states whose coordinate variables are referred to a stationary origin, to frames at rest with respect to the incoming or outgoing particles. An overview of the problem of properly defining such scattering states is presented. The operator which carries out the necessary transformation from inertial to noninertial frames is derived and its properties are discussed. The relation of this transformation operator to the 'translation factor' discussed in the literature is presented. The application of this operator to transform the time-dependent Schroedinger equation from an inertial to a noninertial frame is presented and shown to introduce new terms in the resulting equation. The implications of these new terms to scattering problems are discussed.
Schmid, G. B.↗
Plasma acceleration with microwaves near cyclotron resonance.
Plasma acceleration by microwaves near electron cyclotron resonance without collisions, comparing theory and experiment
Bethke, G. W.↗
Coherence and its application in the beam-foil light source
The beam-foil light source is shown to be very useful in spectroscopic work. Not only the lifetimes of highly excited, multiply charged atoms can be measured in a straightforward way, but also the fine-structure and hyperfine-structure separations and the Lande factors can be obtained due to the fact that the coherent excitations are created in the impulsive beam-foil collision. The theories suggested to explain the origin of coherence are presently incomplete.
Liu, C. H.↗
Comment on the relation between the nonadiabatic coupling and the complex intersection of potential energy curves
Simple relations are discussed that provide a correspondence between the complex intersection of two potential surfaces and the nonadiabatic coupling matrix element between those surfaces. These are key quantities in semiclassical and quantum mechanical theories of collision induced electronic transitions. Within the two state approximation, the complex intersection is shown to be directly related to the location and magnitude of the peak in the nonadiabatic coupling. Two cases are considered: the avoided crossing between two potential surfaces; and the spin orbit interaction due to a P-2 halogen atom. Comparisons are made between the results of the two-state model and the results of ab initio quantum chemical calculations.
Jaffe, R. L.↗
Vibrational and rotational transitions in low-energy electron-diatomic-molecule collisions. I - Close-coupling theory in the moving body-fixed frame. II - Hybrid theory and close-coupling theory: An /l subscript z-prime/-conserving close-coupling approximation
A detailed vibrational-rotational (V-R) close-coupling formulation of electron-diatomic-molecule scattering is developed in which the target molecular axis is chosen to be the z-axis and the resulting coupled differential equation is solved in the moving body-fixed frame throughout the entire interaction region. The coupled differential equation and asymptotic boundary conditions in the body-fixed frame are given for each parity, and procedures are outlined for evaluating V-R transition cross sections on the basis of the body-fixed transition and reactance matrix elements. Conditions are discussed for obtaining identical results from the space-fixed and body-fixed formulations in the case where a finite truncated basis set is used. The hybrid theory of Chandra and Temkin (1976) is then reformulated, relevant expressions and formulas for the simultaneous V-R transitions of the hybrid theory are obtained in the same forms as those of the V-R close-coupling theory, and distorted-wave Born-approximation expressions for the cross sections of the hybrid theory are presented. A close-coupling approximation that conserves the internuclear axis component of the incident electronic angular momentum (l subscript z-prime) is derived from the V-R close-coupling formulation in the moving body-fixed frame.
Choi, B. H.↗
Sputtering of uranium
Results are presented for an experimental study of the sputtering of U-235 atoms from foil targets by hydrogen, helium, and argon ions, which was performed by observing tracks produced in mica by fission fragments following thermal-neutron-induced fission. The technique used allowed measurements of uranium sputtering yields of less than 0.0001 atom/ion as well as yields involving the removal of less than 0.01 monolayer of the uranium target surface. The results reported include measurements of the sputtering yields for 40-120-keV protons, 40-120-keV He-4(+) ions, and 40- and 80-keV Ar-40(+) ions, the mass distribution of chunks emitted during sputtering by the protons and 80-keV Ar-40(+) ions, the total chunk yield during He-4(+) sputtering, and some limited data on molecular sputtering by H2(+) and H3(+). The angular distribution of the sputtered uranium is discussed, and the yields obtained are compared with the predictions of collision cascade theory.
Gregg, R.↗
Non-Maxwellian velocity distribution functions associated with steep temperature gradients in the solar transition region. Paper 1: Estimate of the electron velocity distribution functions
It was shown that, in the presence of the steep temperature gradients characteristic of EUV models of the solar transition region, the electron and proton velocity distribution functions are non-Maxwellian and are characterized by high energy tails. The magnitude of these tails are estimated for a model of the transition region and the heat flux is calculated at a maximum of 30 percent greater than predicted by collision-dominated theory.
Roussel-Dupre, R.↗
Investigation of air transportation technology at MIT
A summary of the research done by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is addressed including Loran-C for guidance in flying approaches, an air traffic control simulator for the Manned Vehicle Simulation Research Facility, and an air traffic collision model theory.
Simpson, R. W.↗
Biological extinction in earth history
Virtually all plant and animal species that have ever lived on the earth are extinct. For this reason alone, extinction must play an important role in the evolution of life. The five largest mass extinctions of the past 600 million years are of greatest interest, but there is also a spectrum of smaller events, many of which indicate biological systems in profound stress. Extinction may be episodic at all scales, with relatively long periods of stability alternating with short-lived extinction events. Most extinction episodes are biologically selective, and further analysis of the victims and survivors offers the greatest chance of deducing the proximal causes of extinction. A drop in sea level and climatic change are most frequently invoked to explain mass extinctions, but new theories of collisions with extraterrestrial bodies are gaining favor. Extinction may be constructive in a Darwinian sense or it may only perturb the system by eliminating those organisms that happen to be susceptible to geologically rare stresses.
Raup, D. M.↗
Assessment and Validation of Collision "Consequence" Method of Assessing Orbital Regime Risk Posed by Potential Satellite Conjunctions
Collision risk management theory requires a thorough assessment of both the likelihood and consequence of potential collision events. Satellite conjunction risk assessment has produced a highly-developed theory for assessing the likelihood of collision but neglects to account for the consequences of a given collision. While any collision may compromise the operational survival of a spacecraft, the amount of debris produced by the potential collision, and therefore the degree to which the orbital corridor may be compromised, can vary greatly among satellite conjunctions. Previous studies leveraged work on satellite collision modeling to develop a method to estimate whether a particular collision is likely to produce a relatively large or relatively small amount of resultant debris. The approximation of the number of debris pieces is dependent on a mass estimation process for the secondary objects utilizing the radar cross section of said object. This study examines the validity of the mass estimation process and establishes uncertainty bounds on the secondary object mass, which will be used to best approximate the possible consequences of a potential collision. This process is then applied to a large set of historical conjunctions to assess the frequency at which possible collisions may significantly augment the orbital debris environment in operational spacecraft.
Collision Consequence↗
Vibrational relaxation in very high temperature nitrogen
Vibrational relaxation of N2 molecules is considered at temperatures up to 40,000 K in gas mixtures that contain electrons as well as heavy collision partners. The theory of vibrational relaxation due to N2-N2 collisions is fit to experimental data to 10,000 K by choice of the shape of the intermolecular potential and size of the collision cross section. These values are then used to extrapolate the theory to 40,000 K.
Hansen, C. Frederick↗