Quantum-mechanical theory of atom-molecule and molecular collisions in a magnetic field: spin depolarization

R V Krems; A Dalgarno

doi:10.1063/1.1636691

Quantum-mechanical theory of atom-molecule and molecular collisions in a magnetic field: spin depolarization

J Chem Phys. 2004 Feb 1;120(5):2296-307. doi: 10.1063/1.1636691.

Authors

R V Krems¹, A Dalgarno

Affiliation

¹ Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. rkrems@cfa.harvard.edu

PMID: 15268368
DOI: 10.1063/1.1636691

Abstract

A theory for quantum-mechanical calculations of cross sections for atom-molecule and molecular collisions in a magnetic field is presented. The formalism is based on the representation of the wave function as an expansion in a fully uncoupled space-fixed basis. The systems considered include 1S-atom-2Sigma-molecule, 1S-atom-3Sigma-molecule, 2Sigma-molecule-2Sigma-molecule, and 3Sigma-molecule-3Sigma-molecule. The theory is used to elucidate the mechanisms for collisionally induced spin depolarization.