Application of the R-matrix method to photoionization of molecules

Abstract

The R-matrix method has been used for theoretical calculation of electron collision with atoms and molecules for long years. The method was also formulated to treat photoionization process, however, its application has been mostly limited to photoionization of atoms. In this work, we implement the R-matrix method to treat molecular photoionization problem based on the UK R-matrix codes. This method can be used for diatomic as well as polyatomic molecules, with multiconfigurational description for electronic states of both target neutral molecule and product molecular ion. Test calculations were performed for valence electron photoionization of nitrogen (N(2)) as well as nitric oxide (NO) molecules. Calculated photoionization cross sections and asymmetry parameters agree reasonably well with the available experimental results, suggesting usefulness of the method for molecular photoionization.