Strong right-left asymmetry observed in charge transfer from circular atomic states near the matching velocity

Abstract
A strong right-left scattering asymmetry, depending on scattering angle, has been observed for electron capture by protons impinging on circular states of Na(3P), excited by circularly polarized light incident perpendicular to the scattering plane. Scattering angles are extremely small, corresponding to grazing incidence collisions. Proton energy is 1 keV, i.e., a collision velocity about half of the orbital velocity of the sodium 3p electron. The observed asymmetry agrees with recent elaborate theoretical predictions using large atomic basis sets.