New electron-energy transfer rates for vibrational excitation of O2

Abstract

We report on our computation of electron-energy transfer rates for vibrational excitation ofO2.This work was necessitated by inadequacies in the electron-impact cross section databasesemployed in previous studies and, in one case, an inaccurate approximate formulation tothe rate equation. Both these inadequacies led to incorrect energy transfer rates beingpublished in the literature. We also demonstrate the importance of using cross sections thatencompass an energy range that is extended enough to appropriately describe theenvironment under investigation.