Elastic Electron–Ion Collisions in Two-Component Plasmas

Abstract

Quantum screening effects on the electron–ion scattering cross section are investigated in two-component plasmas. The corrected Kelbg potential model taking into account both the classical and quantum-mechanical effects is applied to describe electron–ion interactions in two-component plasmas. The Born approximation is considered to obtain the electron–ion scattering amplitude and cross section including the quantum effects. The results show that the quantum screening effect significantly reduces the differential electron–ion scattering cross sections, especially for backward scattering. It is also found that the quantum screening effects on the differential scattering cross section are small for forward scattering. The quantum screening effect on the scattering cross section slightly decreases with increasing charge of the ion. The quantum screening effect on the scattering cross section is also found to increase with increasing collision energy.