Low-Energy Electron Scattering from Molecules, Biomolecules and Surfaces

Since the turn of the 21st century, the field of electron molecule collisions has undergone a renaissance. The importance of such collisions in applications from radiation chemistry to astrochemistry has flowered, and their role in industrial processes such as plasma technology and lighting are vital to the advancement of next generation devices. Furthermore, the development of the scanning tunneling microscope highlights the role of such collisions in the condensed phase, in surface processing, and in the development of nanotechnology.

Low-Energy Electron Scattering from Molecules, Biomolecules and Surfaces highlights recent progress in the theory and experiment of electron-molecule collisions, providing a detailed review of the current state of knowledge of electron molecule scattering?theoretical and experimental?for the general physicist and chemist interested in solving practical problems.

In few other branches of science is the collaboration between theorists and experimentalists so topical. Covering advancements in practical problems, such as those met in plasma physics, microelectronics, nanolithography, DNA research, atmospheric chemistry, and astrochemistry, this book describes the formal general scattering theory and description of the experimental setup at a level the interested non-expert can appreciate.

Electron scattering as a useful tool for research in physics, chemistry and biology: overview and introductory remarks. Introduction to numerical methods. Measurement of absolute cross sections of electron scattering by isolated molecules. Nonlocal theory of resonance electron-molecule scattering. Applications of the nonlocal resonance theory to diatomic molecules. Theoretical studies of electron interactions with DNA and its subunits: from tetrahydrofuran to plasmid DNA. Low-energy electron scattering at surfaces. Vibrational excitations of polyatomic molecules.