Angular distributions of projectiles following electron capture from C₆₀ by 2.5-keV Ar⁸⁺

Experimental measurements of the projectile angular distributions for 2.5-keV Ar⁸⁺ ions capturing one to five electrons from a gas-phase C₆₀ target are presented. The number of captured electrons was determined by demanding a coincidence between the scattered projectile and a charge-state-analyzed intact C₆₀ recoil ion. The results are compared to calculations based on a dynamical classical overbarrier model. Good agreement is obtained only if the influence on the projectile trajectory by the large polarizability of the C₆₀ target is taken into account, thereby making the collective dielectric response of the cluster target observable in a scattering experiment.