Simultaneous single-electron capture and projectile-core excitation enhanced through configuration interaction in very slow Ar6+-He collisions.

We report experimental angular differential cross sections for one-electron capture in Ar 6+ −He collisions at very low energies (1.6−13 eV/u). The cross sections show an unexpectedly high population of core-excited states of Ar 5+ . An alternative mechanism for enhanced capture excitation through configuration interaction is proposed