Single electron capture from molecular hydrogen targets by impact of protons and α particles

The present work deals with single electron capture processes from H₂ targets by impact of heavy bare ions at intermediate and high collision energies. Within the distorted wave formalism, the one active electron model developed to describe collisions with multielectronic atomic targets is used for the case of H₂ targets. Three different distorted wave models are employed: the continuum distorted wave, the continuum distorted wave--eikonal initial state, and the continuum distorted wave--eikonal final state. Using these distorted wave approximations, total cross sections for H⁺ and He²⁺ impact are calculated employing two different representations of the initial bound molecular wave function. The variation of the total cross sections due to this change in the description of the initial wave function and due to changes of the distortion factors in the entrance and exit channels is studied. The theoretical results are compared with available experimental data.