Abstract
A new criterion for the appearance of the rotational rainbow effect in atom-molecule collisions is presented in terms of a dimensionless pararneter Q m which represents the suddenness of rotational transitions. This parameter, introduced from a simple classical model, is determined mainly by the constants inherent to the collision system and is insensitive to the collision energy. The classical trajectory calculations performed in this study as well as some recent experimental data indicate that the rotational rainbow structure appears when \(Q_{m}{\lesssim}0.5\), regardless of the collision energy. When Q m is larger, the rotational state distribution has peaks in a low- J (rotational state) region. The criterion given here is contradictory to the common belief that the rotational rainbow effect should appear at high collision energies irrespective of the system.
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