On the rotational polarization of diatomic molecules by atomic impact

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Abstract
The collision-induced polarization of the angular momentum of a diatomic molecule is discussed within the framework of the quantum-mechanical spectator model. For purely rotational excitation from the molecular ground state to some final angular momentum j, the distribution over the projections m is investigated at different scattering angles and the differential and total cross sections are studied as functions of m. A simple scheme for the calculation of the most probable m transitions is given. Numerical results are presented for a simplified model of the system N2+Li+.