Electron-Molecule Interactions and Their Applications, Volume 1 presents a comprehensive account of electron-molecule interactions in high- and ultra-high-pressure gases and liquids. Topics covered include elastic scattering of electrons by molecules; excitation, ionization, and dissociation of molecules by electron impact; electron-molecule resonances; and electron attachment and detachment processes. This volume is comprised of seven chapters and begins with a discussion on non-resonant elastic scattering and rotational excitation of molecules by electrons, followed by a review of non-resonant vibrational and electronic excitation. The reader is then introduced to resonance effects in electron scattering; electron-induced ionization and dissociation of molecules; and electron-molecule resonances. The ionization mechanisms and types of ions produced are highlighted, along with differential ionization cross sections. The final two chapters focus on electron attachment and detachment processes, paying particular attention to modes of electron capture by molecules such as via negative-ion resonant states. The collisional dynamics for a few selected atomic reactants are also described. Physicists will find this book extremely helpful.

Electron-Molecule Interactions and Their Applications, Volume 2 provides a balanced and comprehensive account of electron-molecule interactions in dilute and dense gases and liquid media. This book consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 deals with electron transfer reactions, while Chapter 2 discusses electron-molecular positive-ion recombination. The electron motion in high-pressure gases and electron-molecule interactions from single- to multiple-collision conditions is deliberated in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, knowledge on electron-molecule interactions in gases is linked to that on similar processes in the liquid state. Selected examples on the translation of the results of basic research on electron-molecule interactions to application are reviewed in Chapter 5. The last chapter covers the electron affinity of molecules, atoms, and radicals. This volume is a good reference for students and researchers conducting work on the intricate ways electrons and molecules interact in their encounters.

The collision of electrons with molecules and molecular ions is a fundamental pro cess in atomic and molecular physics and in chemistry. At high incident electron en ergies, electron-molecule collisions are used to deduce molecular geometries, oscillator strengths for optically allowed transitions, and in the case of electron-impact ionization, to probe the momentum distribution of the molecule itself. When the incident electron energy is comparable to or below those of the molecular valence electrons, the physics involved is particularly rich. Correlation and exchange effects necessary to describe such collision processes bear a close resemblance to similar efft:cts in the theory of electronic structure in molecules. Compound state formations, in the form of resonances and vir tual states, manifest themselves in experimental observables which provide details of the electron-molecule interactions. Ro-vibrational excitations by low-energy electron collisions exemplify energy transfer between the electronic and nuclear motion. The role of nonadiabatic interaction is raised here. When the final vibrational state is in the continuum, molecular dissociation occurs. Dissociative recombination and dissociative attachment are examples of such fragmentation processes. In addition to its fundamental nature, the study of electron-molecule collisions is also motivated by its relation to other fields of study and by its technological appli cations. The study of planetary atmospheres and the interstellar medium necessarily involve collision processes of electrons with molecules and molecular ions.

Covers quantum scattering theories, experimental and theoretical calculations and applications in a comprehensive manner.

This volume aims at a comprehensive introduction into the theory of nonadiabatic molecular processes an increasingly relevant and rapidly expanding segment of molecular quantum dynamics. This very active and current field of research deals with molecular interactions involving transitions between electronic states, which occur typically in cases of reactive scattering between molecules, photoexcitation or strong vibronic and rotational coupling between electronic and nuclear degrees of freedom. The main objective of Electron Dynamics in Molecular Interactions is to provide a synoptic presentation of some very recent theoretical efforts and to contrast them with the more traditional models of nonadiabatic molecular processes. In these presented models derived from their quantum dynamical fundaments, their interrelations are discussed, and their characteristic applications to concrete chemical systems are also outlined. This volume also includes an assessment of the present status of electron dynamics and a report on novel developments to meet the current challenges in the field. There is a need for a systematic comparative treatise as nonadiabatic theories, which are of considerably higher complexity than the more traditional adiabatic approaches, are steadily gaining in importance. This volume addresses a broad readership ranging from physics or chemistry graduate students to specialists in the field of theoretical quantum dynamics.

Low-energy electrons are ubiquitous in nature and play an important role in natural phenomena as well as many potential and current industrial processes. Authored by 16 active researchers, this book describes the fundamental characteristics of low-energy electron–molecule interactions and their role in different fields of science and technology, including plasma processing, nanotechnology, and health care, as well as astro- and atmospheric physics and chemistry. The book is packed with illustrative examples, from both fundamental and application sides, features about 130 figures, and lists over 800 references. It may serve as an advanced graduate-level study course material where selected chapters can be used either individually or in combination as a basis to highlight and study specific aspects of low-energy electron–molecule interactions. It is also directed at researchers in the fields of plasma physics, nanotechnology, and radiation damage to biologically relevant material (such as in cancer therapy), especially those with an interest in high-energy-radiation-induced processes, from both an experimental and a theoretical point of view.