Electron impact calculations of total and ionization cross-sections for Germanium Hydrides (GeH X; X = 1–4) and Digermane, Ge 2H 6

Abstract

In this article we report calculations of the total elastic Q el, total ionization, Q ion, and total (complete), Q T, cross-sections for the germanium hydrides GeH X ( X = 1–4) and digermane (Ge 2H 6) upon electron impact for energies from circa threshold to 2000 eV. Spherical Complex Optical Potential (SCOP) formalism is employed to evaluate Q el, Q inel and Q T. Total ionization cross-sections, Q ion, are derived from the total inelastic cross-sections, Q inel, using a semi-empirical formulation developed by us called ‘Complex Spherical Potential-ionization contribution’ (CSP-ic) method. A comparison of the various cross-sections is provided to show their relative contribution to the total cross-section Q T. Present results are compared with available experimental and theoretical data wherever possible and overall agreement is good. However, no experimental data on the Q ion are available for the germanium hydrides, GeH X , X = 1–3 or digermane.