On the validity of the approximations used in asymmetric charge transfer collision calculations
Some formalisms which have frequently been used in general noncrossing electron transfer theories are examined and shown to be analytically equivalent. The accuracy of the numerical approximations is found to be surprisingly good, partly because different approximations tend to have opposite effects. The hydrogenic wave function assumption of the Rapp and Francis theory is found to be seriously inadequate and the theory is generalized to Coulomb wavefunctions of higher n value. When these wavefunctions are suitably normalized the magnitude and overall energy dependence of the cross section is in good agreement with experiment in alkali metal collisions where this type of collision is expected to be the dominant transfer process.