1 research outputs found
Long-range forces between two excited mercury atoms and associative ionization
The long-range quadrupole-quadrupole () and leading dispersion
() interactions between all pairs of excited Hg() ,
, , and atoms are determined. The quadrupole moments are
calculated using the {\it ab initio} relativistic configuration-interaction
method coupled with many-body perturbation theory. The van der Waals
coefficients are approximated using previously calculated static
polarizabilities and expressions for the dispersion energy that are validated
with similar systems. The long-range interactions are critical for associative
ionization in thermal and cold collisions, and are found to be quite different
for different pairs of interacting states. Based on this knowledge and the
short-range parts of previously calculated potential curves, improved estimates
of the chemi-ionization cross sections are obtained.Comment: accepted in Phys Rev