A comparison of Mu-H and H-H electron spin exchange cross sections

The spin exchange cross sections for H-H and Mu-H collisions are calculated and compared. At low temperatures (< approximately 100 K), the thermally averaged cross section for Mu-H is as much as five times larger than the corresponding cross section for H-H. At high temperatures (> approximately 400 K), the thermally averaged cross sections are comparable and it is shown that the ratio of the Mu-H and H-H cross sections is given approximately by (μsub(Mu-H)/μsub(H-Hsup(1/(p-1)))) where μ is the reduced mass and the difference between the triplet and single potentials is approximately proportional to rsup(-p). (author)