Total cross sections for Na(3 2P1/2→3 2P3/2) + rare gas collisions

Abstract
Quantum‐mechanical calculations that use the recent pseudopotentials of Pascale and Vandeplanque were employed to obtain the 3 2P1/2→ 3 2P3/2 fine structure transition cross sections for Na+He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe collisions. The collision energy range investigated was from threshold (0.00213 eV) to 0.5 eV. The cross sections are found to rise rapidly from threshold to a plateau, with the Na+Ar, Kr, Xe systems also exhibiting a large secondary maximum at approximately 0.1 eV. Regular undulatory structure was observed superimposed on all the cross sections except for the Na+Ne system, while resonances caused by quasibound states were found to be most prominent on the Na+Ar system. Thermally averaged cross sections were calculated from 100 to 1000 °K and are found to be in reasonable accord with experiment.