Optical Model for Vibrational Relaxation in Reactive Systems

Abstract

The probabilities for vibrational transitions in the presence of open reactive channels are calculated with an optical model. A linear collision of an atom and a diatomic molecule is considered. The distorted wave Born series is derived and an analytic expression is given for the first order result for an exponential repulsive potential. A semiclassical analysis is also presented. The results are applied to an electronically excited I₂ molecule colliding with an inert atom. The vibrational transition probabilities are found to be appreciably affected only in the few cases where the predissociation probability is very high, that is larger than about 0.3.