Scaling behavior in collinear atom–diatom collisions: energy transfer from high vibrational states

Abstract

Classical energy transfer in a simple collinear collisionsystem is studied within the framework of a recently derived classical scaling formalism. In the present system which corresponds to collinearly colliding I₂ (Morse oscillator) + rare gas (He, Ar), a simple polynomial function in the initial vibrational quantum number of I₂ scales the first moment of the energy transfer(ET). Using the computed ET moment from only five states as input, it is possible to predict that from any other bound state in the vibrational manifold 0≤n≤110. There is correspondence—in a limiting case—between the classical scaling law and the (quantum) energy corrected sudden scaling theory given earlier; this allows for the interpretation of the classical scaling coefficients and indicates that the higher order terms are necessary in order to account for multiquantum vibrational transitions in the V‐T process.