Integral cross sections for electron-impact excitation of the4 P2state in copper

Abstract

We report integral cross sections for electron-impact excitation of the $4\text{ }^{2}P$ state in copper for incident electrons with energies in the range from threshold to 100 eV. Measurements, based on an optical excitation function procedure, are compared with coupled-channel and coupled-channel-optical method calculations that we have also performed as a part of this study. Agreement between our measurements and theory was generally only modest. The present measurements are also found to be in quite good accord with the early near-threshold integral cross sections of Flynn et al. [C. Flynn, Z. Wei, and B. Stumpf, Phys. Rev. A 48, 1239 (1993)] and the higher energy measurements from Ismail and Teubner [M. Ismail and P. J. O. Teubner, J. Phys. B 28, 4149 (1995)]. Where possible, comparison of our data is also made with earlier theory.