A combined experimental and theoretical study on single capture in 15–$50\mathrm{keV}/\mathrm{u}{\mathrm{C}}^{4+} +$ He collisions was performed. State-selective single-electron capture cross sections and projectile scattering angle distributions were obtained by using a reaction microscope. A comparison of the state-selective cross sections with theoretical calculations based on the two-active-electron semiclassical atomic-orbital close-coupling method showed an excellent agreement for the considered impact energies. For the angular differential cross sections, an overall agreement was also obtained between the present experimental and theoretical results. Simulations performed using an extended Fraunhofer-type diffraction model suggest that the undulatory structures observed at small scattering angles for capture to ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}(1s^{2}2s$) and ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}(1s^{2}2p_0$) can be interpreted as the diffraction pattern of the incident projectile de Broglie wave confined by an aperture defined as the region around the target where the considered capture process is likely. The strong competition between single-electron capture to ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}(1s^{2}2p_0$) and ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}(1s^{2}2p_1$) is also discussed to interpret the differences observed between their respective differential cross sections.

• Received 26 August 2020
• Revised 13 January 2021
• Accepted 25 January 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.103.032827