Collisional Excitation of CF⁺ by H₂: Potential Energy Surface and Rotational Cross Sections

The CF⁺ molecule is considered one of the key species for the study of fluorine chemistry in the interstellar medium (ISM). Its recent detection, as well as its potential use as a tracer for atomic fluorine in the ISM, has increased the interest in the study of the physical and chemical properties of this cation. Accurate determination of the CF⁺ abundance in the ISM requires detailed modeling of its excitation from both radiation and collisions with the most dominant species, which are usually atomic and molecular hydrogen. Here, we report a new highly accurate potential energy surface (PES) describing the interaction between CF⁺ and the H₂ molecule. Exact quantum time-independent calculations of the rotational excitation cross sections for collisions of CF⁺ with both para- and ortho-H₂ are reported. Results obtained for collisions with para-H₂ are compared to previous calculations performed using an approximate PES averaged over H₂ rotation. Excitation data for collisions with ortho-H₂ are provided for the first time.