Inelastic Scattering of NO by Kr: Rotational Polarization over a Rainbow.
We use molecular beams and ion imaging to determine quantum state resolved angular distributions of NO radicals after inelastic collision with Kr. We also determine both the sense and the plane of rotation (the rotational orientation and alignment, respectively) of the scattered NO. By full selection and then detection of the quantum parity of the NO molecule, our experiment is uniquely sensitive to quantum interference. For forward-scattered NO, we report hitherto unseen changes in the plane and sense of rotation with scattering angle and show, remarkably, that the rotation of the NO molecule after collision can be near-maximally oriented for certain transitions and scattering angles. These effects are enhanced by the full parity selection in the experiment and result from the interplay between attractive and repulsive forces.
†The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, The Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom.
Helen
H
Chadwick
†The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, The Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom.
Bethan
B
Nichols
†The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, The Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom.
Sean D S
SD
Gordon
†The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, The Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom.
Balazs
B
Hornung
†The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, The Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom.
Eleanor
E
Squires
†The Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, The Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QZ, United Kingdom.
Mark
M
Brouard
Jacek
J
Kłos
Millard H
MH
Alexander
§Departamento de Quı́mica Fı́sica, Facultad de Quı́mica, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
F Javier
FJ
Aoiz
∥Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.|⊥Department of Physics and Astronomy, LaserLaB, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.|#Laboratoire Francis Perrin, Bâtiment 522, DRECEM/SPAM/CEA, Saclay, 91191 Gif sur Yvette, France.
Steven
S
Stolte
angular momentum polarization; inelastic scattering; “l-type” rainbow