Many-Particle Dynamics in Collisions of Electrons, Positrons and Photons

A special issue of Atoms (ISSN 2218-2004).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2023) | Viewed by 24596

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Department of Physics, School of Advanced Sciences, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore 632014, Tamil Nadu, India
Interests: atomic, molecular and optical physics; electron and positron collision physics; fundamental processes in low temperature plasmas; ion trapping and its dynamics in an electrostatic trap
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Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: electron and photon-induced processes for molecules and their ions; ultrafast processes
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Guest Editor
Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA
Interests: atomic and molecular physics; physics of atoms/molecules/ions of astrophysical, plasma, and fundamental interest; theoretical investigations of quantum collisions involving electron, positron, and photon scattering from atoms, molecules, and their ions
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

When cosmic rays and solar radiation travel through the molecular mediums of the universe, several processes viz. molecular excitation (rovibrational, electronic), ionization, bond dissociation, etc. occur.  These processes end up generating a flux of electrons, photons, charged species (anion, cation), intermediate unstable species and neutral atoms, and smaller molecules. The secondary photons further interact with the surrounding medium producing secondary electrons, charged particles, ions, radicals, electromagnetic radiation, etc. Furthermore, the interaction of solar radiation with the interstellar gas clouds, or with the upper atmosphere of a planet, initiates photochemistry in these environments. The primary processes occurring in this medium are photoionization and photodetachment followed by absorption of radiation.  Thus, the data of molecular photo-processes bear the signatures of molecular species and hence the molecular environments. Therefore, such data are of primary interest to several fields of applied sciences including aeronomy, planetary science, interstellar molecular clouds, the solar nebula, radiation chemistry-physics, biology, dosimetry, radiation therapy, health physics, electron and X-ray microscopy, and photoelectron spectroscopy, etc. In the current scenario, it is also widely recognized that there are new technological advances in plasma processing and the utilization of plasmas in general, ranging from plasma medicine to material processing. These developments are based on the manipulation of plasma properties which in turn requires a detailed understanding of the atomic and molecular processes within plasmas. The collisions of electrons with atoms, molecules, ions, and surfaces are of fundamental importance in low-temperature plasmas, with numerous applications in plasma science and technologies.

Moreover, electron-induced collisions with biomolecules have geared up essentially due to their importance in radiobiology for understanding the radio-induced damages to live tissues. Understanding the underlying physics of such irradiations requires the full description of collisional processes induced by the radiative beam on the target under consideration. In addition to this, the advancement of laser technology and the development of coherent light sources make it possible to probe the molecules with a high level of sophistication. To analyze these experimental data, we need theoretical advancement as well. Thus, there is a burning need for theoretical development as well.

In this edition of special Issue we invite original contributions covering all aspects of electron, positron and photon interaction with atoms, molecules, ions and surfaces both from experimental and theoretical point of view. Such data are of high demand  in plasma science, radiation physics and astrophysics and astronomy. Accurate calculations of some metastable ions are also welcome.

Dr. Dhanoj Gupta
Dr. Suvam Singh
Dr. Paresh Modak
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • electron collision
  • positron collision
  • photon collision
  • ionization
  • excitation
  • elastic scattering
  • photoionization
  • positronium formation

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 472 KiB  
Article
Positron Scattering from Pyrimidine
by Abhishek Prashant, Meetu Luthra, Kanupriya Goswami, Anand Bharadvaja and Kasturi Lal Baluja
Atoms 2023, 11(3), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms11030055 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1410
Abstract
The positron impact cross-sections of pyrimidine molecules are reported from 1 eV to 5000 eV. These cross-sections include differential elastic, integral elastic, and direct ionisation. The elastic cross-sections are computed using the single-centre expansion scheme whereas the direct ionisation cross-sections are obtained using [...] Read more.
The positron impact cross-sections of pyrimidine molecules are reported from 1 eV to 5000 eV. These cross-sections include differential elastic, integral elastic, and direct ionisation. The elastic cross-sections are computed using the single-centre expansion scheme whereas the direct ionisation cross-sections are obtained using the binary-encounter-Bethe formula. The integral and differential cross-sections exhibit consistency with the experimental and other theoretical results. The direct ionisation cross-sections, which are reported for the first time, are compared with the experimental inelastic cross-sections (the sum of excitation and ionisation) to assess the trends in theoretically computed ionisation cross-sections and with the corresponding results for the electrons. The incoherently summed elastic and ionisation cross-sections match very well with the total cross-sections after 40 eV indicating the minimal impact of the positronium formation and electronic excitation processes. Based on this study, we recommend that the experimental data of the inelastic cross-sections reported by Palihawadana et al. be revisited. Full article
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12 pages, 348 KiB  
Article
Many-Body and Single-Body Low-Energy Elastic Positron Scattering by Beryllium Atoms: From Ab Initio to Semiempirical Approaches
by Marcos V. Barp, Wagner Tenfen and Felipe Arretche
Atoms 2023, 11(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms11010008 - 4 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2173
Abstract
Positron scattering by beryllium atoms in the low-energy range (≤4.0 eV) was studied within ab initio and semiempirical frameworks. When interpreting the static dipole polarizability and the scattering length as representative quantities of the target and positron–atom correlations, the scattering observables obtained in [...] Read more.
Positron scattering by beryllium atoms in the low-energy range (≤4.0 eV) was studied within ab initio and semiempirical frameworks. When interpreting the static dipole polarizability and the scattering length as representative quantities of the target and positron–atom correlations, the scattering observables obtained in the ab initio calculation were extrapolated by applying a semiempirical approach. Our results ratify previous ones, since no Ramsauer minimum structures or shape resonances were found in the cross sections. The presence of a (e+,Be) bound state was also identified as a function of the dipole polarizability. Full article
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12 pages, 397 KiB  
Article
Partial Ionization Cross Sections of Tungsten Hexafluoride Due to Electron Impact
by Kanupriya Goswami, Meetu Luthra, Anand Bharadvaja and Kasturi Lal Baluja
Atoms 2022, 10(4), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10040101 - 25 Sep 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1695
Abstract
The ionization data of a neutral molecule are crucial to model the energy deposition and dissociative ionization process. We study theoretically the electron impact ionization process and report on the dissociative ionization cross sections of the tungsten hexafluoride cations invoking the modified-binary-encounter-Bethe model. [...] Read more.
The ionization data of a neutral molecule are crucial to model the energy deposition and dissociative ionization process. We study theoretically the electron impact ionization process and report on the dissociative ionization cross sections of the tungsten hexafluoride cations invoking the modified-binary-encounter-Bethe model. In this model, the binary-encounter-Bethe model is modified by applying the transformation to the binding energies of the molecular orbitals and then normalizing the partial ionization cross sections of the cations using the branching ratios. The normalization is performed at a particular energy and ensures that the branching ratios of different fragments are summed to unity. The model yielded satisfactory results for both the singly and doubly ionized ions. The approach validates the results of Basner et al. The advantages and limitations of this model are also discussed. This work corroborates the importance of mass spectrometry data in the proper understanding of the ionization process. Full article
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42 pages, 1901 KiB  
Article
Electron and Positron Scattering from Precious Metal Atoms in the eV to MeV Energy Range
by Doris H. Jakubassa-Amundsen, Abul Kalam Fazlul Haque, Md. Monirul Haque, Md. Masum Billah, Arun Kumar Basak, Bidhan Chandra Saha and Md. Alfaz Uddin
Atoms 2022, 10(3), 82; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10030082 - 11 Aug 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2170
Abstract
This article reports on the scattering of unpolarized and spin polarized electrons and positrons from 28Ni58,29Cu63,46Pd108, and 78Pt196, covering light to heavy precious metal targets. To cover the wide [...] Read more.
This article reports on the scattering of unpolarized and spin polarized electrons and positrons from 28Ni58,29Cu63,46Pd108, and 78Pt196, covering light to heavy precious metal targets. To cover the wide energy domain of 1 eV Ei300 MeV, Dirac partial-wave phase-shift analysis is employed, using a complex optical potential for Ei1 MeV and a potential derived from the nuclear charge distribution for Ei>1 MeV. Results are presented for the differential and integral cross-sections, including elastic, momentum transfer, and viscosity cross-sections. In addition, the inelastic, ionization, and total (elastic + inelastic) cross-section results are provided, together with mean free path estimates. Moreover, the polarization correlations S,T, and U, which are sensitive to phase-dependent interference effects, are considered. Scaling laws with respect to collision energy, scattering angle, and nuclear charge number at ultrahigh energies are derived using the equivalence between elastic scattering and tip bremsstrahlung emission. In addition, a systematic analysis of the critical minima in the differential cross-section and the corresponding total polarization points in the Sherman function S is carried out. A comparison with existing experimental data and other theoretical findings is made in order to test the merit of the present approach in explaining details of the measurements. Full article
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15 pages, 925 KiB  
Article
Mass Spectrometry-Based Approach to Compute Electron-Impact Partial Ionization Cross-Sections of Methane, Water and Nitromethane from Threshold to 5 keV
by Meetu Luthra, Kanupriya Goswami, Ajay Kumar Arora, Anand Bharadvaja and Kasturi Lal Baluja
Atoms 2022, 10(3), 74; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10030074 - 14 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2307
Abstract
The electron impact partial ionization cross-sections of molecules such as methane, water and nitromethane are computed using a modified form of the binary encounter Bethe (BEB) formula. The modified form of the BEB model works on rescaling the molecular binding energies of the [...] Read more.
The electron impact partial ionization cross-sections of molecules such as methane, water and nitromethane are computed using a modified form of the binary encounter Bethe (BEB) formula. The modified form of the BEB model works on rescaling the molecular binding energies of the orbitals and the scaling of cross-sections using the electron ionization mass spectrometry data. The computed partial ionization cross-sections are consistent with the recommended data and are better than several experimental and theoretical results. The summed partial ionization cross-sections of different fragments also agree with the total ionization cross-sections obtained from BEB and the experimental data. This work highlights the utility of mass spectrometry in the modeling and interpretation of the ionization cross-section data. The limitations and the advantages of the modified form of the BEB model are also discussed. Full article
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11 pages, 3011 KiB  
Article
Low-Energy Electron Scattering from c-C4F8
by Dhanoj Gupta, Heechol Choi, Deuk-Chul Kwon, He Su, Mi-Young Song, Jung-Sik Yoon and Jonathan Tennyson
Atoms 2022, 10(2), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10020063 - 14 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2298
Abstract
Electron collision cross-sections of c-C4F8 were investigated at low energies by using the R-matrix method. The static exchange (SE), static exchange with polarization (SEP), and close-coupling (CC) models of the R-matrix method were used for the calculation of the [...] Read more.
Electron collision cross-sections of c-C4F8 were investigated at low energies by using the R-matrix method. The static exchange (SE), static exchange with polarization (SEP), and close-coupling (CC) models of the R-matrix method were used for the calculation of the scattering cross-section. The shape resonance was detected with all the models at around 3~4 eV, and a Feshbach resonance was detected with the SEP model at 7.73 eV, in good agreement with the previous theoretical calculation. The resonance detected was also associated with the experimental dissociative electron attachment of c-C4F8, which displayed the resonances at the same energy range. The cross-sections calculated are important for plasma modeling and applications. Full article
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19 pages, 1234 KiB  
Article
The Binary-Encounter-Bethe Model for Computation of Singly Differential Cross Sections Due to Electron-Impact Ionization
by Pankaj Garkoti, Meetu Luthra, Kanupriya Goswami, Anand Bharadvaja and Kasturi Lal Baluja
Atoms 2022, 10(2), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10020060 - 6 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2758
Abstract
In the present work, we assess the effectiveness of singly differential cross sections (SDCS) due to electron-impact ionization by invoking the binary-encounter-Bethe (BEB) model on various atomic and molecular targets. The computed results were compared with the experimental and theoretical data. A good [...] Read more.
In the present work, we assess the effectiveness of singly differential cross sections (SDCS) due to electron-impact ionization by invoking the binary-encounter-Bethe (BEB) model on various atomic and molecular targets. The computed results were compared with the experimental and theoretical data. A good agreement was observed between the present and the available results. This agreement improves as the incident energy of the projectile increases. The model can be applied to compute the SDCS for the ions produced due to the electron-impact dissociative ionization process and the average energy due to the secondary electrons. Both these quantities are of interest in plasma processing and radiation physics. Full article
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23 pages, 11756 KiB  
Article
Impact of Charge Migration and the Angle-Resolved Photoionization Time Delays of the Free and Confined Atom X@C60
by Subhasish Saha, Sourav Banerjee and Jobin Jose
Atoms 2022, 10(2), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10020044 - 30 Apr 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2102
Abstract
The present study is devoted to isolate and study the effect of charge migration on the photoionization from the X@C60. The noble gas atoms, Ar, Kr, and Xe, are confined in the C60 to investigate the impact of charge migration [...] Read more.
The present study is devoted to isolate and study the effect of charge migration on the photoionization from the X@C60. The noble gas atoms, Ar, Kr, and Xe, are confined in the C60 to investigate the impact of charge migration from the entrapped atom to the C60 side. The present work concludes that the confinement oscillations in the photoionization features are amplified due to the charge migration. Further, the angle-resolved, spin average time delay is also investigated in the light of confinement. Features in the time delay due to the charge migration are more amplified relative to those in the cross-section or angular distribution. Full article
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29 pages, 2192 KiB  
Article
A Theoretical Study of Scattering of Electrons and Positrons by CO2 Molecule
by M. Masum Billah, M. Mousumi Khatun, M. M. Haque, M. Yousuf Ali, Mahmudul H. Khandker, A. K. F. Haque, Hiroshi Watabe and M. Alfaz Uddin
Atoms 2022, 10(1), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10010031 - 9 Mar 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3266
Abstract
This article presents a theoretical investigation of the differential, integrated, elastic, inelastic, total, momentum-transfer, and viscosity cross-sections, along with the total ionization cross-section, for elastically scattered electrons and positrons from a carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule in the incident energy range of [...] Read more.
This article presents a theoretical investigation of the differential, integrated, elastic, inelastic, total, momentum-transfer, and viscosity cross-sections, along with the total ionization cross-section, for elastically scattered electrons and positrons from a carbon dioxide (CO2) molecule in the incident energy range of 1 eV Ei 1 MeV. In addition, for the first time, we report the spin polarization of e±CO2 scattering systems. The independent atom model (IAM) with screening correction (IAMS) using a complex optical potential was employed to solve the Dirac relativistic equation in partial-wave analysis. The comparison of our results with the available experimental data and other theoretical predictions shows a reasonable agreement in the intermediate- and high-energy regions. Full article
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13 pages, 584 KiB  
Article
Elastic and Inelastic Cross Sections for Low-Energy Electron Collisions with ClF Molecule Using the R-Matrix Method
by Monika Bassi, Anand Bharadvaja and Kasturi Lal Baluja
Atoms 2022, 10(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms10010008 - 19 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2536
Abstract
The ClF molecule belongs to an interhalogen family and is important in laser physics and condensed phase molecular dynamics. The elastic and excitation scattering cross sections are obtained in a fixed nuclei approximation using the UKRmol+ codes based on R-matrix formalism. The [...] Read more.
The ClF molecule belongs to an interhalogen family and is important in laser physics and condensed phase molecular dynamics. The elastic and excitation scattering cross sections are obtained in a fixed nuclei approximation using the UKRmol+ codes based on R-matrix formalism. The scattering calculations were performed in the static-exchange (SE), static-exchange-plus-polarisation (SEP), and close-coupling (CC) models. Three CC models with different target states were employed, namely, the 1-state, 5-states, and 12-states. In the CC model, the target states were represented by configuration interaction (CI) wavefunctions. A good agreement of dipole and quadrupole moments of the ground state was obtained with the experimental values, which indicates a good representation of the target modelling. The study predicted the existence of a shape resonance in the SE, SEP, and 5-states CC models. This resonance vanished in the 12-states CC model. The excitation cross sections from ground to the lowest two excited states were also reported. The elastic differential and momentum transfer cross sections were obtained in the 12-states CC models. The contribution of long-range interactions to elastic scattering was included via Born closure approach. The quantities like collision frequencies and rate coefficients were also presented over a wide range of electron temperatures. The ionization cross sections were computed using the binary-encounter-Bethe (BEB) model. The results were reported in C2v point group representation. Full article
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