Inner Shell Excitation in Very-Heavy Ion-Atom Collisions

Abstract

In slow heavy-ion atom collisions, n ≪ 1 (where η = v2/u2, and u and v, are the electron orbital and impact velocity, respectively), quasi-molecules are transiently formed. For a review see for example, Mokier and Folkmann1. When n ≪ 1 the electrons can adjust continuously during the collision on the time-varying two center potential, and the change in electron binding energy with internuclear distance, R, can be approximately read from static two-center-level calculations. For very close collisions, i.e. for R < rK-ua(where rK-ua is the radius of the united atom C-ua) system with Z = Z1 + Z2), the level diagram is almost equivalent to that of a hypothetically united atom with a total atomic number Z. Thus with slow atomic collisions one has the unique ability to penetrate transiently into the region of super-heavy atoms2, a possibility of which nuclear physicists can only dream.