The Physics of Low-energy Electron-Molecule Collisions: A Guide for the Perplexed and the Uninitiated

Abstract

The essential physical features of low-energy electron-molecule scattering are described in a qualitative fashion. The context for this discussion is provided by the frame-transformation picture, which entails a 'partitioning' of the quantum scattering problem according to the relative importance of various physical interactions. This picture is then used as the basis for a qualitative overview of several contemporary theoretical techniques for solving the quantum scattering problem that are based on eigenfunction expansions of the system wavefunction and for representing the electronmolecule interaction potential. Finally, progress in three specific problem areas of recent interest is surveyed. The emphasis throughout is on non-resonant elastic scattering and ro-vibrational excitation.