Strong right-left asymmetry observed in charge transfer from circular atomic states near the matching velocity

A strong right-left scattering asymmetry, depending on scattering angle, has been observed for electron capture by protons impinging on circular states of Na(3{ital P}), excited by circularly polarized light incident perpendicular to the scattering plane. Scattering angles are extremely small, corresponding to grazing incidence collisions. Proton energy is 1 keV, i.e., a collision velocity about half of the orbital velocity of the sodium 3{ital p} electron. The observed asymmetry agrees with recent elaborate theoretical predictions using large atomic basis sets.