Resonant excitation of molecules by low-energy electrons

Low-energy electron impact vibrational and electronic excitation cross sections of the CO, N2 and CO2 molecules are measured by use of a high resolution crossed-beams double trochoidal electron spectrometer. The spectrometer is designed to work in standard and time-of-flight regimes. The energy dependences of the resonant vibrational excitation of the first several vibrational levels of the N2, CO, and CO2 molecules, have been measured. Characteristic substructures in energy excitation spectra in the cases of N2 and CO have been obtained and discussed for some vibrational channels for the first time. The ratio of forward-to-backward scattered electrons from the 2Π resonance in CO is found to be equal to 1, and thus the angular distribution of scattered electrons to be symmetric relative to 90°. This conclusion supports the fact that the contribution of the pπ partial wave is dominant in the energy region of the 2Π resonance in CO. The energy dependences of the near threshold resonant excitation of the valence and Rydberg states of the N2 and CO molecules have been measured. The cross sections of the near threshold resonant excitation of the C 3Πu valence state, and the E 3Σ+ g and a'' 1Σ+ g Rydberg states of the N2 molecule have been measured. In the case of the CO molecule, the cross sections of the near threshold resonant excitation of the a 3Π valence state, and the b 3Σ+ and B 1Σ+ Rydberg states have been measured. Resonant structures in excitation functions of all measured electronic states are observed and their locations are compared with resonances obtained in different decay channels.