An optical model for exchange reactions

An optical model or complex potential has been used in a relatively simple fashion to provide an interpretation of several molecular dynamics experiments. Rather than attempting a quantitative curve fit to the available data using a phenomenological optical potential (which is certainly possible) we have correlated certain physically reasonable features of the complex potential with general trends in the reaction dynamics. As an explicit example, the relationship between the range characteristics of the optical potential and the dependence or the reaction probability upon the kinetic energy of the reactants is derived. Other correlations are also presented. such as the dependence of the reaction probability upon impact parameter and degree of rotational excitation. The power of such a treatment obviously lies in its general applicability to complex systems as well as in its ability to often provide a simple physical understanding of some rather anomalous features of the reaction dynamics.