The collision of electrons with molecules

Abstract

Since the development of the Born theory of collisions in 1926, its application to collisions of electrons with atoms has been treated in considerable detail. Recently the authors have included also the modification due to Oppenheimer, in which account is taken of electron exchange. However, for the collision of electrons with molecules very little has been done beyond the calculation by Massey of the elastic scattering of electrons in molecular hydrogen. In the present paper use is made of the collision theory of Born and of Oppenheimer ( loc. cit .) in order to consider various phenomena occurring on electron impact with molecules.