Vibrational inelastic electron-H2 scattering revisited: numerically converged coupled channels space frame calculations with model interactions

Abstract

The collisional excitation of the lower vibrational levels of H2(1Σg+) molecules by low-energy electron impact is computed using an empirical model potential and by solving the coupled-channels scattering equations within a space-fixed (SF) frame of reference formulation. Numerically converged partial, integral inelastic and elastic cross-sections are obtained from what is an essentially exact treatment of the dynamics and the results are compared with measurements and with earlier calculations on the same system. The usefulness of the SF method for handling excitation processes at near-threshold collision energies is discussed and analyzed through the calculations of collisional superelastic partial cross-sections down to 10-2 meV of collision energy.