We demonstrate that chemical reactions in collisions of molecular beams can generally produce low-velocity molecules in the laboratory-fixed frame. Our analysis shows that collisions of beams may simultaneously yield slow reactant molecules and slow products. The reaction products are formed in selected rovibrational states and scattered in a specific direction, which can be controlled by tuning the kinetic energies of the incident beams and the angle between the beams. Our calculations indicate that chemical reactions of polar alkali-metal dimers are barrierless and we suggest that chemical reactions involving alkali-metal dimers may be particularly suitable for producing slow molecules in crossed beams.

• Received 13 January 2008

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.78.022705