Electron capture inAr+-ion collisions with laser-aligned Rydberg atoms

We report a study of charge transfer from laser-aligned Rydberg atoms in collisions with ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ ions in the velocity-matching regime. The Rydberg atoms in well-defined magnetic substates were prepared by two-photon laser optical pumping in a weak magnetic field. The results are compared with classical-trajectory Monte Carlo calculations and can also be understood in terms of a simple and ‘‘intuitive’’ picture.