U.S.-Denmark Collaborative Research on Collisions of Ions with Circular-State Atoms

该奖项支持肯塔基大学的Keith MacAdam教授和他的研究小组的其他人与丹麦奥胡斯大学物理研究所的E.Horsdal-Pedersen教授在物理研究方面进行合作。他们将研究单电荷离子与处于最大角动量状态的高度激发的里德堡原子的目标的碰撞，这种状态被称为圆形状态。最近已经开发了产生这些态的方法，但实际上还没有对它们的碰撞性质进行研究。这项拟议的开创性工作需要两个合作小组的专业知识和奥胡斯物理研究所的独特设施相结合。美国集团在离子-里德堡原子碰撞和各种分析技术方面贡献了大量专业知识。这位丹麦研究员是电子捕获过程和环态产生方面的一流研究员。碰撞测量将在丹麦研究所使用激光和低能离子束进行，在那里，必要的圆形碰撞目标正在安装在专用的散射设备中。这个项目将阐明电子俘获和中速角动量变化碰撞中的新现象。高角动量或圆态里德堡原子与入射离子的碰撞研究尚未见报道。在电荷转移中观察到与排列有关的现象是非常新的，甚至对于靶的最低各向同性状态也是如此，这有望刺激理论和实验之间的新的相互作用。有机会将最新的技术和在所需领域独树一帜的研究人员聚集在一起，研究量子力学和经典力学边界上的“三体问题”，这是科学进步的绝佳机会。

This award supports Professor Keith MacAdam and others of his research group at the University of Kentucky to collaborate in physics research with Professor E. Horsdal- Pedersen of the Institute of Physics, University of Aarhus, Denmark. They will investigate the collisions of singly charged ions on a target of highly excited Rydberg atoms in states of maximum angular momentum, called circular-states. Methods for creating these states have recently been developed, but there has been virtually no investigation yet of their collisional properties. This proposed ground breaking work requires the combination of expertise found in the two collaborating groups and the unique facilities of the Institute of Physics at Aarhus. The U.S. group contributes substantial expertise in ion-Rydberg atom collisions and various analytical techniques. The Danish investigator is a first class researcher in electron capture processes and circular state production. The collision measurements will be carried out using lasers and low energy ion beams at the Danish Institute, where the necessary circular-state collision target is being installed in a dedicated scattering apparatus. This project will elucidate new phenomena in electron capture and angular-momentum changing collisions at intermediate velocities. No collision studies of high angular momentum or circular state Rydberg atoms with incident ions have ever been done. The observation of an alignment dependence in charge transfer is very new, even for the lowest non-isotropic state of a target, and it is expected to stimulate new interactions between theory and experiment. The opportunity to bring together the newest techniques and researchers uniquely accomplished in the required areas for a study of the "Three Body Problem" at the boundary of quantum and classical mechanics is an outstanding opportunity for scientific progress.