Comparisons Between Low-Energy Electron Scattering from Gaseous and Condensed-Phase Atoms and Molecules

Abstract

Low-energy electron scattering from atoms and molecules has been studied for more than half a century. 1 Various types of experiments have been performed in order to measure the energy and angular dependence of the magnitude of the cross sections involved in the elastic, inelastic, ionising and dissociative processes induced by the collision of an electron with a gaseous target. During the last decade, such experiments have also been performed with atoms and molecules lying within2 or at the surface3 of solids. There exists now considerable information on elastic and inelastic scattering of low-energy electrons as well as on electron attachment in the solid phase. The main purpose of the present article is to show, with appropriate examples, how the behavior of low energy electron scattered in the gas-phase can be linked to the more recent results obtained in the solid phase. In another article of this book, attempts are made to do the same between gas and condensed phase results on electron attachment and dipolar dissociation processes. Due to the vast amount of information already available in the gas-phase on low-energy electron interactions, providing a strong link between the two phases should considerably enhance our present understanding of the action of low-energy (< 30 eV) electrons in condensed media.KeywordsMultiple ScatteringExcitation FunctionMultilayer FilmVibrational ExcitationElectron AttachmentThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.