Recently, the DICP research team of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Dynamics, headed by Prof. Xueming Yang (Member of CAS), has achieved important progress in the study of Rydberg H-atom scattering kinetics，namely，measurements for the first time of full quantum-state resolved differential cross-sections of the H*(n) + o-D2 → HD + D*(n′) reaction. The corresponding paper with the title of “State-to-state differential cross-sections for the reactive scattering of H*(n) with o-D2” was published in the UK journal Chemical Science (Chemical Science 2012, 3 (9), 2839 – 2842).

Prof. Yang and his research team have been engaging in the study of Rydberg H-atom scattering kinetics for a long period of time. As a succession of the research work of reactive scattering published in Physical Review Letter in 2005, their present study, by employing a new experimental design, has discovered that the distribution of full angular quantum differential cross-sections was inconsistent with that in the ionic reaction, or in other words, the Fermi independent-collider model is not valid in describing the dynamics of Rydberg atom reactions with molecules. This has illustrated both theoretically and experimentally for the first time that the Fermi independent-collider model might turn out to be unfeasible in Rydberg atom scattering kinetics, thus providing new ideas in the development of new theories for ion-molecule reactions.