Electron Collisions with Multielectron Atoms and Fullerene Molecules: Strong Polarisation Effects

Abstract

Regge pole-calculated low-energy electron elastic total cross sections for multielectron atoms/fullerenes are characterised by ground, metastable and excited negative-ion formation, shape resonances and Ramsauer-Townsend minima. In this article, we demonstrate through the total cross sections for Eu, Au and At atoms and C60 fullerene the sensitivity of stable negative-ion formation to the crucial core-polarisation potential. The energy positions of the dramatically sharp resonances corresponding to the binding energies of the formed anions during the collisions agree excellently with the measured electron affinities of the atoms and C60. The sensitivity of Ramsauer-Townsend minima and shape resonances to the electronic structure and dynamics of Bk and Cf permits their first ever use as novel validation of the experimental observation that Cf is indeed a transitional element in the actinide series. Their electron affinities are also calculated.