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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters
Published on: January 9, 2014
Quantum-mechanical theory of atom-molecule and molecular collisions in a magnetic field: spin depolarization
1Harvard-MIT Center for Ultracold Atoms, Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA. rkrems@cfa.harvard.edu
Abstract:
A theory for quantum-mechanical calculations of cross sections for atom-molecule and molecular collisions in a magnetic field is presented. The formalism is based on the representation of the wave function as an expansion in a fully uncoupled space-fixed basis. The systems considered include 1S-atom-2Sigma-molecule, 1S-atom-3Sigma-molecule, 2Sigma-molecule-2Sigma-molecule, and 3Sigma-molecule-3Sigma-molecule. The theory is used to elucidate the mechanisms for collisionally induced spin depolarization.
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