Convergent close-coupling approach to excitation in proton collisions with helium at intermediate energies
Phys. Rev. A 112, 042811 – Published 9 October, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/y3hw-kyc4
Abstract
We have applied a semiclassical impact-parameter close-coupling method to calculate the state-resolved excitation cross sections in proton collisions with the ground state of helium. Using both correlation-configuration and frozen-core two-electron basis functions, we construct a large number of helium pseudostates to use in the expansion of the total scattering wave function. Extensive convergence studies show that the present results are accurate to within a few percent. The present cross sections for transitions from the ground state into all states for the , and symmetries agree very well with experimental data where available. This work serves to provide a comprehensive set of excitation cross sections that were previously available only in narrow energy regions and for some channels. Furthermore, we present elastic-scattering, total excitation, and total electron-loss cross sections from 2 to . We conclude that with modern supercomputer technology, a single-center method can accurately model collisions through implicit inclusion of the electron-capture process via coupling to the large number of positive-energy pseudostates representing the continuum.