Recent total cross section measurements in electron scattering from molecules

Abstract

The grand-total cross sections (TCSs) for electron scattering from a range of molecules, measured over the period 2009-2019 in various laboratories, with the use of different electron transmission systems, are reviewed. Where necessary, the presented TCS data are also compared to earlier results. Collection of investigated molecular targets (biomolecules, biofuels, molecules of technological application, hydrocarbons) reflects their current interest in biology, medicine, ecology and industry. Most of measurements covered the energy range from about 1 eV to some hundreds of eV, with a few exceptions extending those limits down to near thermal or up to almost high impact energies. The importance of reliable TCS data in the field of electron-scattering physics is emphasized. Problems encountered in TCS experiments are also specified.

Cross Sections for Electron Collisions with H2O

“…25 Already, these early experiments indicated a rapid rise in the TCS in the zero energy limit. In spite of numerous past experiments and comparisons, cross sections for water vapor are still subject to intense research 26,27 and the low-energy cross sections, important for the biochemistry, remain ambiguous.…”

Total Cross Sections for Electron and Positron Scattering on Molecules: In Search of the Dispersion Relation

“…Experimental determinations are relatively easy for total cross section (TCS) in the energy range 1-100 eV, using beam methods [10]. In some gases, like N 2 and CH 4 [7], the uncertainty on the TCS is as low as 5%.…”

Elastic Scattering of Slow Electrons by Noble Gases—The Effective Range Theory and the Rigid Sphere Model

“…Although great attention was devoted to electron collisions with atoms of noble gases over the years [1], scattering in a very low-energy range is still challenging both experimentally and theoretically. On the one hand, experiments at very low energies are scarce and burdened with high uncertainties since hard-to-reach energy and angular resolutions are required to carry out trustworthy measurements [2]. On the other hand, the theoretical description of complex (many-body) short-range effects in the electron-atom collision reached a high level of fidelity (see for example [3,4]), but numerical calculations become more and more computationally expensive and time-consuming with lowering electron energy.…”