Differential cross sections for elastic scattering of electrons by atoms and solids

Abstract

Differential cross sections (DCSs) for elastic scattering of electrons by neutral atoms are extensively used in studies of electron transport in solids and liquids. A new NIST database has recently been released with DCSs calculated from a relativistic Dirac partial-wave analysis in which the potentials were obtained from Dirac–Hartree–Fock electron densities computed self-consistently for free atoms. We have compared calculated DCSs with measured DCSs for argon for electron energies between 50 eV and 3 keV, and found good agreement for electron energies above about 1 keV but with increasing deviations as the energy is reduced. These deviations are due to the neglect of absorption and polarizability effects in the calculations. Nevertheless, DCSs for neutral atoms have been successfully used in simulations of elastic backscattering of electrons by solid surfaces with energies down to 300 eV as well as for many other applications. It is suggested that this success might be due at least partially to the smaller absorption correction for the DCSs in solids on account of the smaller total inelastic scattering cross sections than for the corresponding free atoms.