Elastic scattering of electrons by a hydrogen molecule at intermediate energies using optical eikonal theory

Abstract

The optical eikonal approximation with an optical potential consisting of the first-order static potential and a second-order potential which accounts for the polarisation and absorption effects has been used to calculate the differential cross sections for electron-hydrogen-molecule elastic scattering at incident energies of 50, 100 and 200 eV. The exchange effects have been included through the Ochkur approximation. The calculated results, which include averaging over all the orientations of the molecular axis, have been compared with available experimental data. The results and averaging over all orientations of the molecular axis are quite significant in the case of electron-molecule elastic scattering.