Single-electron capture from helium atoms by fast singly positive charged helium ions

Abstract

The first-order three-body Coulomb-Born distorted wave approximation is presented to describe single-electron capture from helium atoms in their ground states by impact of energetic singly positive charged helium ions. The applied theory satisfies the correct boundary conditions. The nuclear-screening influence of the passive electrons on the electron capture process is investigated using single-zeta wavefunctions and considering the different reasonable values for effective nuclear charges. Both differential and total cross sections are calculated and compared with the available experimental data as well as other theoretical results to specify the validity of our findings. © 2012 EDP Sciences, SIF, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.