Polarization and Correlation Effects in Low Energy Electron Molecule Collisions

Abstract

The calculation of cross sections for the collision of electrons with molecular targets presents a considerably more difficult challenge than the corresponding problem for atomic systems. First, the non-spherically symmetric character of the electron-molecule interaction potential makes many of the numerical methods used for electron-atom scattering extremely difficult to apply and second, the nuclear motion introduces additional (ro-vibrational) degrees of freedom which can increase the number of channels far beyond the capabilities of even the most sophisticated computer.