Reactive scattering calculations for 87Rb+87RbHe→Rb2(3Σ+u,v)+He87Rb+87RbHe→Rb2(3Σu+,v)+He from ultralow to intermediate energies

8 págs.; 5 figs.; 1 tab.© 2015 AIP Publishing LLC. We investigate atom-diatom reactive collisions, as a preliminary step, in order to assess the possibility of forming Rb2 molecules in their on the surface of helium nanodroplets. A simple model related to the well-known Rosen treatment of linear triatomic molecules [N. Rosen, J. Chem. Phys. 1, 319 (1933)] in relative coordinates is used, allowing to estimate reactive probabilities for different values of the total angular momentum. The best available full dimensional potential energy surface [Guillon et al., J. Chem. Phys. 136, 174307 (2012)] is employed through the calculations. Noticeable values of the probabilities in the ultracold regime, which numerically fulfill the Wigner threshold law, support the feasibility of the process. The rubidium dimer is mainly produced at high vibrational states, and the reactivity is more efficient for a bosonic helium partner than when the fermion species is considered.We thank Centro de Cálculo (IFF, CSIC), Centro Técnico de Informática (CTI, CSIC), and Centro de Supercomputación de Galicia (CESGA) for the allocation of computer time. This work has been supported by MICINN Grant No. FIS2011- 29596-C02-01. R.R.-C. acknowledges to the Spanish program JAE-PREDOC, Grant No. JAE-Pre-2010-01277. J.J. was supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences, U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02- 06CH11357. The aid of COST Action CM1002 (CODECS) is also appreciated.Peer Reviewe