Low-energy Electron Scattering By Methane, Arsine And Phosphine

We present cross sections for the elastic scattering of low-energy electrons by phosphine (PH 3) and arsine (AsH 3), and for electron-impact excitation of the (1 t 2 → 3 sa 1) 3T 2 and 1T 2 states in methane (CH 4). These results were calculated using the Schwinger multichannel method as implemented on distributed-memory parallel computers. The PH 3 and AsH 3 cross sections show a pronounced low-energy shape resonance which may provide a pathway to dissociative attachment. The 1,3T 2 cross sections for CH 4 correlate fairly well with recent measurements of CH 2 production via electron-impact dissociation of methane. © 1992 Springer-Verlag.24214114