Wave packet study of a linear collision problem

Abstract

Using real-time wave packet propagation we consider the scattering properties of a linear collision system consisting of a harmonic oscillator coupled by truncated Morse potentials to two particles. This system is viewed as a model for the collision of a projectile D with a three particle target ABC with interactions such that the possible final states comprise backscattering of the projectile with the target intact, the ‘‘exchange’’ reaction ABC+D→A+BCD and the ‘‘fragmentation’’ reaction ABC+D→A+BC+D. For the types of interaction considered, the exchange reaction was found to proceed primarily via inelastic resonant processes and to be the dominant event for incident energies below the oscillator energy. Fragmentation occurred via nonresonant processes and dominated at higher energy. Other features of the scattering are discussed and compared with simple quantum theory and the description of the system given by classical mechanics.