The search for resonance signatures in H+D2 reaction dynamics

To investigate the recent report of the observation of a reactive resonance in the title reaction, we have calculated the ro-vibrationally state-resolved integral cross-sections (ICS) and differential cross-sections (DCS), as well as the vibrational branching ratios for the H + D-2(nu = j = 0) --> HD(nu',j') + D reaction. Oscillatory structure occurring in the state-to-state reaction probabilities does survive partial wave averaging to appear in the integral cross-sections for low j'-values, although not significantly for the j' = 7 state recently reported. The resonance picture interpretation of the oscillations is shown to be problematic. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.