Electron excitation processes in low energy collisions of hydrogen-helium atoms

The electron excitation processes of H(1s)+He(1s^(2))→H(2s/2p)+He(1s^(2))are studied in impact energy range of 20-2000 e V/u by using the quantum-mechanical molecular orbital close-coupling(QMOCC)method.Total and state-selective cross sections have been obtained and compared with the available theoretical and experimental results.The results agree well with available measurements in the overlapping energy regions overall.The comparison of our results with other theoretical calculations further demonstrates the importance of considering a sufficient number of channels.The datasets presented in this paper,including the excitation cross sections,are openly available at https://www.doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.j00113.00083.

Effect of electron excitation in nonsequential double ionization by intense laser fields

We study the double ionization process of atoms in intense laser fields. The momentum distributions of the correlated electrons are calculated. Contrary to the general expectation, we show an increasing proportion of the electrons ionized via excitation with the increasing laser intensity. These electrons generally have small energy thus they concentratedly distribute on the central region of the momentum diagram. Consequently, the central part of the momentum diagram becomes more notable in higher intensity laser fields. Further study suggests that this phenomenon is general in double ionization.

Low-energy inelastic electron scattering from carbon monoxide:Excitation and de-excitation of the X^(1)Σ^(+),a^(3)Π,a'^(3)∑^(+),A^(1)Π,d^(3)Δ,e^(3)∑^(-),I^(1)∑^(-)and D^(1)Δelectronic states

Cross-sections for electronic excitation and de-excitation among the ground state and lowest-lying seven electronic excited states of carbon monoxide(CO)by low-energy electron impact are computed using the R-matrix method.The excitation cross-sections from the ground state to the electronic states a^(3)Π,a'^(3)Σ^(+)+and A^(1)Πagree with previous experimental and theoretical results.In addition,the cross-sections for the I^(1)Σ^(+)-and D^(1)Δstates of CO,which will cascade to CO a'^(3)Σ^(+)+and A^(1)Πstates,are calculated.Furthermore,in contrast to the typical increase in electronic excitation cross-sections with collision energy,the de-excitation cross-sections show a negative trend with increasing energy.

Electron capture and excitation in intermediate-energy He^(2+)–H(1s,2s)collisions

The semiclassical non-perturbative atomic orbital close-coupling approach has been employed to study the electron capture and excitation processes in He^(2+)-H(1s)and He^(2+)-H(2s)collision systems.In order to ensure the accuracy of our calculated cross sections,a large number of high excited states and pseudostates are included in the expansion basis sets which are centered on the target and projectile,respectively.The total and partial charge transfer and excitation cross sections are obtained for a wide-energy domain ranging from 1 keV/amu to 200 keV/amu.The present calculations are also compared with the results from other theoretical methods.These cross section data are useful for the investigation of astrophysics and laboratory plasma.

An effective method to calculate the electron impact excitation cross sections of helium from ground state to a final channel in the whole energy region

The electron impact excitation(EIE) cross sections of an atom/ion in the whole energy region are needed in many research fields, such as astrophysics studies, inertial confinement fusion researches and so on. In the present work, an effective method to calculate the EIE cross sections of an atom/ion in the whole energy region is presented. We use the EIE cross sections of helium as an illustration example. The optical forbidden 1^(1)S–n^(1)S(n = 2–4) and optical allowed 1^(1)S–n^(1)P(n = 2–4) excitation cross sections are calculated in the whole energy region using the scheme that combines the partial wave R-matrix method and the first Born approximation. The calculated cross sections are in good agreement with the available experimental measurements. Based on these accurate cross sections of our calculation, we find that the ratios between the accurate cross sections and Born cross sections are nearly the same for different excitation final states in the same channel. According to this interesting property, a universal correction function is proposed and given to calculate the accurate EIE cross sections with the same computational efforts of the widely used Born cross sections,which should be very useful in the related application fields. The datasets presented in this paper are openly available at https://www.doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.j00113.00142.

Diagnosis of Electronic Excitation Temperature in Surface Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasmas at Atmospheric Pressure

The electronic excitation temperature of a surface dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） at atmospheric pressure has been experimentally investigated by optical emission spectroscopic measurements combined with numerical simulation. Experiments have been carried out to deter- mine the spatial distribution of electric field by using FEM software and the electronic excitation temperature in discharge by calculating ratio of two relative intensities of atomic spectral lines. In this work, we choose seven Ar atomic emission lines at 415.86 nm [（3s^23p^5）5p →（3s^23p^5）4s] and 706.7 nm, 714.7 nm, 738.4 nm, 751.5 nm, 794.8 nm and 800.6 nm [（3s^23p^5）4p → （3s^23p^5）4s] to estimate the excitation temperature under a Boltzmann approximation. The average electron energy is evaluated in each discharge by using line ratio of 337.1 nm （N2（C^3Пu →B3Пg）） to 391.4 nm （N2^＋（B2 ∑u^＋→ ∑g^＋））. Furthermore, variations of the electronic excitation tempera- ture are presented versus dielectric thickness and dielectric materials. The discharge is stable and uniform along the axial direction, and the electronic excitation temperature at the edge of the copper electrode is the largest. The corresponding average electron energy is in the range of 1.6- 5.1 eV and the electric field is in 1.7-3.2 MV/m, when the distance from copper electrode varies from 0 cm to 6 cm. Moreover, the electronic excitation temperature with a higher permittivity leads to a higher dissipated electrical power.

Differential cross sections for electron impact excitation of molecular hydrogen using the momentum-space multichannel optical method

In the present work, the momentum-space multichannel optical method is employed in four-state close-coupling calculations to study the electronic excitation of H2 molecules by electron-impact. Particularly, differential cross sections for the x1∑g＋b3∑u＋,x1∑g＋-a3∑g,andx1∑g-c3Пu transitions are reported. Comparison is made with the availableexperimental and theoretical results.

Resonance enhanced electron impact excitation for P-like Cu XV

Employing both the Dirac R-matrix and the relativistic distorted wave with independent process and isolated reso- nance approaches, we report resonance enhanced electron impact excitation data （specifically, effective collision strengths） among the lowest 41 levels from the n = 3 configurations of Cu XV. The results show that the latter approach can obtain resonance contributions reasonably well for most excitations of Cu XV, though a comparison between the two approaches shows that the close-coupling effects are truly significant for rather weak excitations, especially for two-electron excitations from the 3s3p4 to 3s23p23d configuration. Resonance contributions are significant （more than two orders of magnitude） for many excitations and dramatically influence the line intensity ratios associated with density diagnostics.

Electronic Excitation Temperature in DC Positive Streamer Discharge

The electronic excitation temperature in a direct current positive streamer discharge based on ultra-thin sheet electrodes was measured by optical emission spectrometry in order to deposit materials for potential future applications. It was remarkable that the electronic excitation temperature （Text） did not vary monotonically with the discharge current, but demonstrated a peak at a certain position. In a mixture of oxygen and argon （80% oxygen）, the maximum Texc reached about 6300 K at an average current of 600 pA. Both the positive ions accumulation in the discharge region and the increase of the local temperature around the streamer channel caused by Joule heating are considered to be the main reasons for the variations of Texc.

Benchmark Integral Cross Sections for Electron Impact Excitation of the n=2 States in Helium

In this paper, we present integral cross sections （ICS） for electron impact excitation of the n = 2 levels in helium in the impact energy range of 23.5 eV to 35 eV. The ICS of each final state, 2^3S, 2^1S, 2^3P and 2^1P, has been determined by integration of the angular differential cross sections （DCS） over all of 0° to 180°, where those DCS were obtained from both our previous experiments and the extrapolation using the convergent close coupling calculation. The present experimental ICS for the optically allowed 21P transition state are also compared with those obtained from the BE f-scaling method. Very good agreement between the experimental and BE f-scaled 21P ICSs is generally found in the measured impact energy region.

Electron impact excitation of Ni-like gold studied by Dirac R-matrix method

We calculate the electron impact excitation of Ni-like gold by using the Dirac R-matrix theory, and the cor- responding collision strengths and effective collision strengths are obtained. In the calculations of the level energy, （1sZ2sZ2p6）3sZ3p63d10, 3s23p63d94/, 3s23p53d104/, and 3s3p63d104/（l = 0, 1,2,3） configurations are included and 107 fine-structure levels are generated. In the calculations of the collision strengths, only the first 59 levels are included. Com- parisons are made with the distorted wave （DW） results of Zeng et al. for both collision strengths and effective collision strengths. For the collision strengths, the two sets of calculations are in excellent agreement for most of the transitions. However, because of the inclusion of the resonances, our effective collision strengths are generally several times larger than those of Zeng et al.. The accuracy of our calculations is assessed.

Electron impact excitation of helium atom

A method to deal with the electron impact excitation cross sections of an atom from low to high incident energies are presented. This method combines the partial wave method and the first Born approximation(FBA), i.e., replacing the several lowest partial wave cross sections of the total cross sections within FBA by the corresponding exact partial wave cross sections. A new set of codes are developed to calculate the FBA partial wave cross sections. Using this method,the convergent e–He collision cross sections of optical-forbidden and optical-allowed transitions at low to high incident energies are obtained. The calculation results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the method.

A simple semiempirical model for the static polarizability of electronically excited atoms and molecules

We present a semiempirical analytical model for the static polarizability of electronically excited atoms and molecules,which requires very few readily accessible input data,including the ground-state polarizability,elemental composition,ionization potential,and spin multiplicities of excited and ground states.This very simple model formulated in a semiclassical framework is based on a number of observed trends in polarizability of electronically excited compounds.To adjust the model,both accurate theoretical predictions and reliable measurements previously reported elsewhere for a broad range of multielectron species in the gas phase are utilized.For some representative compounds of general concern that have not yet attracted sufficient research interest,the results of our multireference second-order perturbation theory calculations are additionally engaged.We show that the model we developed has reasonable(given the considerable uncertainties in the reference data)accuracy in predicting the static polarizability of electronically excited species of arbitrary size and excitation energy.These findings can be useful for many applications,where there is a need for inexpensive and quick assessments of the static gas-phase polarizability of excited electronic states,in particular,when building the complex nonequilibrium kinetic models to describe the observed optical refractivity(dielectric permittivity)of nonthermal reacting gas flows.

Secondary electron emission and photoemission from a negative electron affinity semiconductor with large mean escape depth of excited electrons

The formulae for parameters of a negative electron affinity semiconductor(NEAS)with large mean escape depth of secondary electrons A(NEASLD)are deduced.The methods for obtaining parameters such asλ,B,E_(pom)and the maximumδandδat 100.0 keV≥E_(po)≥1.0 keV of a NEASLD with the deduced formulae are presented(B is the probability that an internal secondary electron escapes into the vacuum upon reaching the emission surface of the emitter,δis the secondary electron yield,E_(po)is the incident energy of primary electrons and E_(pom)is the E_(po)corresponding to the maximumδ).The parameters obtained here are analyzed,and it can be concluded that several parameters of NEASLDs obtained by the methods presented here agree with those obtained by other authors.The relation between the secondary electron emission and photoemission from a NEAS with large mean escape depth of excited electrons is investigated,and it is concluded that the presented method of obtaining A is more accurate than that of obtaining the corresponding parameter for a NEAS with largeλ_(ph)(λ_(ph)being the mean escape depth of photoelectrons),and that the presented method of calculating B at E_(po)>10.0 keV is more widely applicable for obtaining the corresponding parameters for a NEAS with largeλ_(ph).

Measurement of electron density and electron temperature of a cascaded arc plasma using laser Thomson scattering compared to an optical emission spectroscopic approach

As advanced linear plasma sources, cascaded arc plasma devices have been used to generate steady plasma with high electron density, high particle flux and low electron temperature. To measure electron density and electron temperature of the plasma device accurately, a laser Thomson scattering（LTS） system, which is generally recognized as the most precise plasma diagnostic method, has been established in our lab in Dalian University of Technology. The electron density has been measured successfully in the region of 4.5？×10^19m^-3 to7.1？×10^20m^-3 and electron temperature in the region of 0.18 eV to 0.58 eV. For comparison,an optical emission spectroscopy（OES） system was established as well. The results showed that the electron excitation temperature（configuration temperature） measured by OES is significantly higher than the electron temperature（kinetic electron temperature） measured by LTS by up to 40% in the given discharge conditions. The results indicate that the cascaded arc plasma is recombining plasma and it is not in local thermodynamic equilibrium（LTE）. This leads to significant error using OES when characterizing the electron temperature in a non-LTE plasma.

Electron population properties with different energies in a helicon plasma source

The characteristics of electrons play a dominant role in determining the ionization and acceleration processes of plasmas.Compared with electrostatic diagnostics,the optical method is independent of the radio frequency(RF)noise,magnetic field,and electric field.In this paper,an optical emission spectroscope was used to determine the plasma emission spectra,electron excitation energy population distributions(EEEPDs),growth rates of low-energy and highenergy electrons,and their intensity jumps with input powers.The 56 emission lines with the highest signal-to-noise ratio and their corresponding electron excitation energy were used for the translation of the spectrum into EEEPD.One discrete EEEPD has two clear different regions,namely the low-energy electron excitation region(neutral lines with threshold energy of13–15 eV)and the high-energy electron excitation region(ionic lines with threshold energy?19 e V).The EEEPD variations with different diameters of discharge tubes(20 mm,40 mm,and 60 mm)and different input RF powers(200–1800 W)were investigated.By normalized intensity comparison of the ionic and neutral lines,the growth rate of the ionic population was higher than the neutral one,especially when the tube diameter was less than 40 mm and the input power was higher than 1000 W.Moreover,we found that the intensities of low-energy electrons and high-energy electrons jump at different input powers from inductively coupled(H)mode to helicon(W)mode;therefore,the determination of W mode needs to be carefully considered.

A Surface Femtosecond Two-Photon Photoemission Spectrometer for Excited Electron Dynamics and Time-Dependent Photochemical Kinetics

A surface femtosecond two-photon photoemission （2PPE） spectrometer devoted to the study of ultrafast excited electron dynamics and photochemical kinetics on metal and metal oxide surfaces has been constructed. Low energy photoelectrons are measured using a hemispherical electron energy analyzer with an imaging detector that allows us to detect the energy and the angular distributions of the photoelectrons simultaneously. A Mach-Zehnder interferom- eter was built for the time-resolved 2PPE （TR-2PPE） measurement to study ultrafast surface excited electron dynamics, which was demonstrated on the Cu（111） surface. A scheme for measuring time-dependent 2PPE （TD-2PPE） spectra has also been developed for studies of surface photochemistry. This technique has been applied to a preliminary study on the photochemical kinetics on ethanol/TiO2（110）. We have also shown that the ultrafast dynamics of photoinduced surface excited resonances can be investigated in a reliable way by combining the TR-2PPE and TD-2PPE techniques.

Low-lying electronic states of CuN calculated by MRCI method

The high accuracy ab initio calculation method of multi-reference configuration interaction（MRCI） is used to compute the low-lying eight electronic states of CuN.The potential energy curves（PECs） of the X;∑;,1;Π,2;∑;,1;△,1;△,1;∑;,1;Π,and;∑;in a range of R=0.1 nm-0.5 nm are obtained and they are goodly asymptotes to the Cu（;S;） + N（;S;） and Cu（;S;）+N（;D;） dissociation limits.All the possible vibrational levels,rotational constants,and spectral constants for the six bound states of X;∑;,1;Π,2;∑;,1;△,1;∑;,and 1;Π are obtained by solving the radial Schrdinger equation of nuclear motion with the Le Roy provided Level 8.0 program.Also the transition dipole moments from the ground state X;∑;to the excited states 1;Π and 2;∑;are calculated and the result indicates that the 2;∑-X;∑ transition has a much higher transition dipole moment than the 1;Π-X;∑;transition even though the l;Π state is much lower in energy than the 2;∑;state.

Ab Initio Studies on Eight Electronic States of the BH_2 Radical

The present paper covers ab initio UHF calculations with a d, p-polarized basis set performed for eight electronic states of BH2 and the equilibrium geometries, electronic term values Tc and vibrational frequencies of the five stable states X2A1, 2B1, 2B2, 22A1 and 2A2. On the basis of the UHF results, the states 22B2. 2B1 and 32A1 are predicted to be unstable. The MP2/6-31G * * calculations were performed for the X2A1 and 2B1, states, and the calculated equilibrium geometries, Tc value and vibrational frequencies are similar to the UHF results. The MP2/6-31G * * studies on the reaction BH2→BH + H for the X2A1 and 2B1 states were carried out and the HB-H bond energies of these two states were calculated.

Direct observation of Pt nanocrystal coalescence induced by electron-excitation-enhanced van der Waals interactions

Nanocrystal coalescence has attracted paramount attention in nanostructure fabrication in the past decades. Tremendous endeavor and progress have been made in understanding its mechanisms, benefiting from the development of transmission electron microscopy. However, many mechanisms still remain unclear, especially for nanocrystals that lack a permanent dipole moment standing on a solid substrate. Here, we report an in situ coalescence of Pt nanocrystals on an amorphous carbon substrate induced by electron-excitation- enhanced van der Waals interactions studied by transmission electron microscopy and first principles calculations. It is found that the electron-beam-induced excitation can significantly enhance the van der Waals interaction between Pt nanocrystals and reduce the binding energy between Pt nanocrystals and the carbon substrate, both of which promote the coalescence. This work extends our understanding of the nanocrystal coalescence observed in a transmission electron microscope and sheds light on a potential pathway toward practical electron- beam-controlled nanofabrication.