Formation of CO+ by radiative association II

Abstract

ABSTRACT Radiative association of an oxygen atom with a carbon cation is investigated using quantal and semiclassical methods. The total rate coefficient for spontaneous radiative association of O(2s22p4, 3P) with C+(2s22p, 2P) on the doublet manifold is determined from the corresponding cross-sections. The cross-sections for the ${\rm 1}^2\, \Sigma ^-\rightarrow {\rm A}^2\Pi$, ${\rm 2}^2\, \Sigma ^-\rightarrow {\rm A}^2\Pi$, and ${\rm C}^2\, \Delta \rightarrow {\rm A}^2\Pi$ continuum-bound processes are calculated either semiclassically, in combination with the Breit–Wigner approach, or fully quantum mechanically. In the temperature range 10–10 000 K, our recommended total rate coefficient, obtained from these calculations and the data of Zámečníková et al. (2019), slowly increases from 7.5 × 10−18 cm3s−1 to 2.1 × 10−17 cm3s−1. Corresponding aspects of the CO+ and CO formations in SN 1987A are discussed.