Search

The interaction between electrons and methane is studied with a particular focus on describing the dynamics of elastic and electronic excitation processes under the influence of the multichannel coupling effects. Elastic and electronically inelastic integral and differential cross sections are reported. These cross sections were calculated with the Schwinger multichannel method implemented with norm-conserving pseudopotentials within the minimal orbital basis for single-configuration interaction approach with up to 181 open channels. While an excellent agreement with previously published data is found in the elastic channel, the comparisons involving electronic excitation cross sections reveal significant discrepancies. Furthermore, the lack of reliable experimental data regarding the electronically inelastic channels hampers a more detailed analysis of the theoretical results. Additionally, total ionization and total cross sections for electron collisions with methane are also presented. By highlighting the current theoretical challenges in dealing with electron-induced electronic excitation of molecules, we seek to contribute to a deeper understanding of this scattering process and, thus, pave the way for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differential and integral cross sections for elastic and electronically inelastic scattering of electrons by the thiophene molecule were determined by means of the Schwinger multichannel method within the static-exchange plus polarization approximation in the energy range from 3.41 to 50 eV. We investigated the influence of multichannel coupling effects by calculating the cross sections according to different schemes of channel coupling that range from 1 to 61 open channels along with polarization effects, depending on the energy considered. The comparison of these results shows that the inclusion of more channels in the scattering calculations leads to a significant decrease in the magnitude of the cross sections. Present results corresponding to our best level of channel coupling at a given energy, both for elastic and electronically inelastic electron scattering by thiophene, display an overall good agreement with the data available in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on theoretical elastic and experimental vibrational-excitation differential cross sections (DCSs) for electron scattering from para-benzoquinone (C6H4O2), in the intermediate energy range 15-50 eV. The calculations were conducted with two different theoretical methodologies, the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials (SMCPP) and the independent atom method with screening corrected additivity rule (IAM-SCAR) that also nowincorporates a further interference (I) term. The SMCPP with N energetically open electronic states (Nopen) at the static-exchange-pluspolarisation (Nopench-SEP) level was used to calculate the scattering amplitudes using a channel coupling scheme that ranges from 1ch-SE up to the 89ch-SEP level of approximation.We found that in going from the 38ch-SEP to the 89ch-SEP, at all energies considered here, the elastic DCSs did not change significantly in terms of both their shapes and magnitudes. This is a good indication that our SMCPP 89ch-SEP elastic DCSs are converged with respect to the multichannel coupling effect for the investigated intermediate energies. While agreement between our IAM-SCAR+I and SMCPP 89ch- SEP computations improves as the incident electron energy increases from 15 eV, overall the level of accord is only marginal. This is particularly true at middle scattering angles, suggesting that our SCAR and interference corrections are failing somewhat for this molecule below50 eV.We also report experimental DCS results, using a crossed-beam apparatus, for excitation of some of the unresolved ("hybrid") vibrational quanta (bands I-III) of para-benzoquinone. Those data were derived from electron energy loss spectra that were measured over a scattered electron angular range of 10°-90° and put on an absolute scale using our elastic SMCPP 89ch-SEP DCS results. The energy resolution of our measurements was ~80 meV, which is why, at least in part, the observed vibrational features were only partially resolved. To the best of our knowledge, there are no other experimental or theoretical vibrational excitation results against which we might compare the present measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work we report elastic cross sections for electron scattering from acrylic acid (CH2 = CH-COOH) and its methylated derivatives, crotonic acid (CH3-CH = CH-COOH), methacrylic acid (H2C = C(CH3)COOH) and methyl acrylate (CH2 = CHCOOCH3). The calculations were performed with the Schwinger multichannel method for impact energies up to 15 eV. Two π * shape resonances were found in the component of the integral cross sections (ICSs) for the A ″ symmetry of all molecules. The resonance positions obtained for the acrylic acid are compared with existing experimental results for dissociative electron attachment. We investigated the influence of methylation through the comparison of the positions and widths of the shape resonances in the component of the ICS of the A ″, and the oscillation patterns in the differential cross sections of all molecules. We also present the momentum transfer cross section for electron scattering from all molecules studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report elastic integral and differential cross sections for electron scattering from the aza-derivatives of pyrrole, furan, and thiophene, namely, pyrazole, imidazole, isoxazole, oxazole, isothiazole, and thiazole. The calculations were performed within the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials, with inclusion of static, exchange, and polarization interactions, for energies up to 10 eV. We found two π* shape resonances and a high-lying σ* shape resonance in each system. A sharp low-energy σ* resonance was also identified in isothiazole and thiazole. Pyrazole and imidazole presented yet a broad low-lying σ* resonance. The positions of the resonances agree very well with existing experimental results. We discuss the similarities and differences among the resonances of these compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on elastic integral, momentum transfer, and differential cross sections for collisions of low-energy electrons with thiophene molecules. The scattering calculations presented here used the Schwinger multichannel method and were carried out in the static-exchange and static-exchange plus polarization approximations for energies ranging from 0.5 eV to 6 eV. We found shape resonances related to the formation of two long-lived π* anion states. These resonant structures are centered at the energies of 1.00 eV (2.85 eV) and 2.82 eV (5.00 eV) in the static-exchange plus polarization (static-exchange) approximation and belong to the B1 and A2 symmetries of the C2v point group, respectively. Our results also suggest the existence of a σ* shape resonance in the B2 symmetry with a strong d-wave character, located at around 2.78 eV (5.50 eV) as obtained in the static-exchange plus polarization (static-exchange) calculation. It is worth to mention that the results obtained at the static-exchange plus polarization level of approximation for the two π* resonances are in good agreement with the electron transmission spectroscopy results of 1.15 eV and 2.63 eV measured by Modelli and Burrow [J. Phys. Chem. A 108, 5721 (2004)]. The existence of the σ* shape resonance is in agreement with the observations of Dezarnaud-Dandiney et al. [J. Phys. B 31, L497 (1998)] based on the electron transmission spectra of dimethyl(poly)sulphides. A comparison among the resonances of thiophene with those of pyrrole and furan is also performed and, altogether, the resonance spectra obtained for these molecules point out that electron attachment to π* molecular orbitals is a general feature displayed by these five-membered heterocyclic compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present work we report cross sections for electron collisions with the isomers propene (C3H6) and cyclopropane (c-C3H6). Electron-scattering differential cross sections (DCS) are reported for measurements carried out for energies 1.5–100 eV and the angular range of 20°–120°. Elastic integral cross sections (ECS), DCS, and momentum-transfer cross sections (MTCS) are reported for calculations carried out using the Schwinger multichannel method with pseudopotentials for the energy range of 2.0–40 eV and angular range of 0°–180°. The resemblance of the π* shape resonance in the cross sections, observed at 1.5–2.0 eV for propene, to those in C2H4 and C2F4 clearly points to the effect of the double bond in the molecular structures for these molecules. Below 60 eV, we observed clear differences in peak positions and magnitudes between the DCS, ECS, and MTCS for C3H6 and c-C3H6, which we view as the isomer effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]