Further theoretical study of collisional quantum interference on rotational energy transfer in an atom–diatom system

Abstract

In our previous study (M.-T. Sun, G.-H. Sha, S.-L. Cong, F.-C. Ma, J.-C. Xie and C.-H. Zhang, Chem. Phys. Lett., 2001, 339, 413), a method of calculating the interference angle theoretically was presented, and experiments on the system CO A¹Π(v = 0) ∼ e³Σ⁻(v = 1) in collision with He were simulated. As a further theoretical study of the collision-induced quantum interference on rotational energy transfer in an atom–diatom system, a dynamic model is described in this paper, based on the first order Born approximation of the time dependent perturbation theory and taking into account the anisotropic Lennard–Jones interaction potential. Experiments on the system CO A¹Π(v = 0) ∼ e³Σ⁻(v = 1) in collision with Ne and Ar in a sample cell are simulated. The integral interference phase angles are computed under both homonuclear and non-homonuclear approximations. The results are perfectly satisfactory under the latter condition.