Peculiarities of Elastic Scattering of Intermediate-Energy Electrons Related to Their Capture at Quasi-Stationary Levels of an Atom in a Continuous Spectrum

摘要

A theoretical model of electron scattering on an atom is constructed to study elastic atomic scattering of intermediate-energy electrons. The proposed model is based upon the combined Mensing potential with two spheres of atomic electrons, which admits analytical solutions of the radial Schr?dinger equation. A procedure for matching the parameters of this scatterer to an approximate electrostatic potential of an atom in the form of a screened Coulomb potential has been determined. The screening radius of the latter potential has been calculated proceeding from the properties corresponding to the Thomas-Fermi method. A model of a scatterer determined according to the aforementioned procedure can be used to calculate the energy dependence of the cross section of elastic electron scattering on some atoms with s, p, and d shells representing elements neighboring zirconium. The main result is the establishment of factors responsible for the appearance of maxima on the energy dependences of the cross section of elastic electron scattering. These maxima are related to the resonant trapping of impinging electrons by quasi-stationary levels in a continuous spectrum.