Atomic cluster collisions

Multi-electron processes in atomic collisions ± theory

For the theoretical description of the multi-electron processes induced by charged particle impact we use a relatively simple perturbative method. The second-order approximation is valid for protons and antiprotons of moderate and high velocities. Electron correlation is taken into account by the use of con®guration-interaction wavefunctions. The agreement with the available experimental data f...

Ion-Atom Cold Collisions and Atomic Clocks

Atomic four-wave mixing via condensate collisions

We perform a theoretical analysis of atomic four-wave mixing via a collision of two Bose-Einstein condensates of metastable helium atoms. The analysis is based on first-principles quantum simulations using the positive P-representation method and is aimed at modeling recent experiments at Orsay [2]. Using the actual experimental parameters, we calculate atom-atom pair correlations within the s-...

Control of atomic collisions by laser polarization.

Atomic collision pairs in a light field form a microscopic interferometer. The light acts as the beam splitter and controls at the same time the amplitudes and phases of the interfering waves. We demonstrate the complete tunability using linear and elliptic polarization.

Atomic collisions in solids: Astronomical applications

Airless bodies in space are subject to irradiation with energetic atomic particles, which generate atmospheres by sputtering and alter the surface composition. Astronomical observations with telescopes and space probes continuously provide new data that require new laboratory experiments for their interpretation. Many of these experiments also serve to expand the current frontier of atomic coll...