Small-Angle Inelastic Scattering of Electrons in Helium, Hydrogen and Mercury

Abstract

The inelastic scattering of electrons by helium, hydrogen and mercury is measured for angles very close to the forward direction, ranging from 0° to 15° scattering. Those electrons are studied which have suffered losses of 21.1 volts, 12.6 volts and 6.7 volts, respectively, for the three gases. The initial energies range from 100 to 300 volts. The scattering per unit solid angle is found to reach a maximum at a fairly small angle and then decrease to a lower value at zero angle. The position of the maximum is a function of energy and not of momentum as predicted by the Born theory.