Differential cross sections for electron impact excitation of the n = 2 states of helium at intermediate energies (80, 100 and 120 eV) measured across the complete angular scattering range (0-180°)

R. Ward, D. Cubric, N. Bowring, G. C. King, F. H. Read, D. V. Fursa, I. Bray, O. Zatsarinny, K. Bartschat

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Differential cross sections (DCS) for inelastic electron scattering to the n = 2 states in helium have been measured at incident energies of 80, 100 and 120 eV. These DCS have been determined across the complete angular scattering range (0-180°) using a magnetic angle changer (MAC) with a soft-iron core. The convergent close-coupling (CCC), R-matrix with pseudostates (RMPS), and B-spline R-matrix (BSR) methods have been used to calculate these DCS. Agreement between the experimental data and the predictions from these highly sophisticated theoretical methods is generally good. The remaining discrepancies mainly occur at small and large angles for the triplet states 23S and 23P, whereas excellent agreement is found between 30° and 150°. The small-angle differences are likely due to contamination of the observed experimental signal from the neighbouring 21S and 2 1P states. The present results demonstrate the effective use of a soft-iron core MAC for DCS measurements at intermediate energies, extending the operational energy range of such devices by a factor of approximately 25.

Original languageEnglish
Article number045209
JournalJournal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
Volume44
Issue number4
Early online date1 Feb 2011
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 28 Feb 2011
Externally publishedYes

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Differential cross sections for electron impact excitation of the n = 2 states of helium at intermediate energies (80, 100 and 120 eV) measured across the complete angular scattering range (0-180°)'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this