Comparison of ion pair formation in the systems Ar*+I2 and K+I2

A simple model that has been used extensively by Los and co-workers to treat ion pair formation in collisions of alkali atoms with diatomic molecules is extended to include continuum coupling via a competing Penning ionization channel. This extended model is then used to calculate the differential cross sections for ion pair formation for the system Ar*+I2 over the energy range 28–154 eV and to compare with a previous treatment of K+I2. In the absence of significant competition from continuum processes, Ar* is expected to behave in a manner similar to K, since the active electron is an unpaired 4s electron in both cases. We perform model calculations for Ar*+I2 to investigate the effects of varying the potential curves and charge exchange matrix elements and of including a continuum coupling function Γ (R). Comparison with previous calculations for K+I2 suggests increased repulsion on the Ar*–I2 surfaces relative to those of K–I2. The competing mechanisms of excitation transfer and Penning ionization may have a small effect upon the ion pair angular distributions.