Calculated electron impact spin-coupled rotational cross-sections for 2S + 1Σ+ linear molecules: CN as an example

Abstract

Here we present the development and adaptation of existing atom–molecule collision theory in order to calculate spin-coupled rotationally resolved cross-sections for electron–molecule collisions. A full theory is developed from the existing work for this new process and then implemented using the infinite order sudden approximation to simplify the method; this approximation is shown to hold for the results of a simple test. The formalism is used to compute spin-rotation cross-sections for electron collisions with the CN radical in its 2Σ+ ground electronic state. Results for transitions out of the ground spin rotational state are presented. A general fortran program, ROTLIN_S, is developed for this task.