Atomic-matter-wave diffraction evidenced in low-energy Na++Rb charge-exchange collisions

Single charge transfer in low-energy Na++87Rb(5s,5p) collisions is investigated using magneto-optically trapped Rb atoms and high-resolution recoil-ion momentum spectroscopy. The three-dimensional reconstruction of the recoil-ion momentum provides accurate relative cross sections for the active channels along with their associated distributions in projectile scattering angle. The measurements are accompanied by molecular close-coupling calculations. The predicted diffractionlike oscillations in angular distributions are clearly resolved by the experiment. An excellent agreement is found between the present molecular calculations and the experimental data.