Left-right scattering asymmetries for electron transfer from oriented and tilted aligned Na(3p) states to H(n=2,3)

We present experimental and theoretical results for the spatial pattern of forwardly scattered H({ital n}=2,3) atoms created by electron transfer from optically prepared Na(3{ital p}) atoms by 2-keV proton impact. The near-resonant H({ital n}=2) and the endoergic H({ital n}=3) channels display dramatically different left-right scattering asymmetries, varying strongly with the initial polarization of the target. The results illuminate current ideas on the role of the internal dynamics for transition propensities in the electron transfer process, including a connection between the collisional behavior of aligned and oriented states. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}