Crossed molecular beam studies of metastable Ar scattered by ground-state HBr and CO2

The technique of crossed molecular beams was used to study the differential elastic and nonelastic scattering of two experimental systems. The observed elastic and nonelastic cross sections are treated theoretically. The potential parameters found, with those reported for other systems, were used to correlate the potential well-depth (epsilon) with the reduced-rainbow-angle peak maximum (tau/sub M/). The energy dependence of the differential scattering of metastable Ar*(3P) by ground-state HBr(X1 Sigma) was studied at four relative kinetic energies from 60 to 160 MeV over an angular range of 4 to 120 deg. c.m. Lennard--Jones (12,6) potential parameters are obtained from the position and curvature of rainbow maxima, which are observed at each energy