title: Rydberg atom formation in ultracold plasmas: small energy transfer with large consequences.
abstract: We present extensive Monte Carlo calculations of electron-impact-induced transitions between highly excited Rydberg states and provide accurate rate coefficients. For moderate energy changes, our calculations confirm the widely applied expressions in P. Mansbach and J. Keck [Phys. Rev. 181, 275 (1969)] but reveal strong deviations at small energy transfer. Simulations of ultracold plasmas demonstrate that these corrections significantly impact the short-time dynamics of three-body Rydberg atom formation. The improved rate coefficients yield quantitative agreement with recent ultracold plasma experiments.
authors.affiliation: ITAMP, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pohl
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vrinceanu
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Sadeghpour