Indirect process in the dissociative attachment of low energy electrons to molecules

Journal Article · Mon Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 1973 · J. Chem. Phys., v. 59, no. 8, pp. 4009-4023

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1680592· OSTI ID:4345547

Nazaroff, G V

The dissociative attachment of low energy electrons to molecules is described in terms of two coupled processes--the direct'' process and the indirect'' process. In the direct'' process the incoming electron collides with the molecular target and attaches in one step, and fragmentation of the molecular negative ion follows. In the indirect'' process the target is first fragmented by the electron, and the electron is subsequently captured by one of the dissociating neutral fragments. The coupled electron-molecule scattering equations are formally integarated, and an expression for the T-matrix describing dissociative attachment is f the direct'' and the indirect'' contributions. An order-of-magnitude estimate for the dissociative attachment of 10 eV electrons to H/sub 2/ indicates that the two processes are of comparable magnitude in this case. The indirect'' process is expected to contribute subsidiary structure to the dissociative attachment cross section in those cases in which the molescular negative ion potential surface lies above the parent-state potential surface in the initial state's Franck-Condon region. The subsidiary structure could range from a small bump in the case of weak coupling between the two processes to a series of oscillations in the case of strong coupling. (auth)

• Research Organization: Department of Chemistry, Indiana University at South Bend, South Bend, Indiana 46615
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-29-022386
• OSTI ID: 4345547
• Journal Information: J. Chem. Phys., v. 59, no. 8, pp. 4009-4023, Journal Name: J. Chem. Phys., v. 59, no. 8, pp. 4009-4023; ISSN JCPSA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*ELECTRON-MOLECULE COLLISIONS-- ELECTRON ATTACHMENT
IONIZATION
MOLECULES
N60400* --Physics (Atomic & Molecular)--Collision Phenomena
S MATRIX
SCATTERING