Elastic scattering of low-energy electrons by BF₃

Abstract

We present integral, differential and momentum transfer cross sections for elastic scattering of low-energy electrons by boron trifluoride molecules. The cross sections were obtained with the Schwinger multichannel method implemented with pseudopotentials. The calculations were performed in the static-exchange and in the static-exchange-polarization approximations for energies from 0.1 to 10 eV. Our results indicate that BF₃ has a shape resonance in the B ₂ symmetry located at around 3.5 eV, in agreement with the experimental measurements of 3.8 eV, 3.54 eV and of 3.6 eV reported by [M. Tronc et al., J. Phys. B 15, L253 (1982)], by [J.A. Tossell et al., Int. J. Quantum Chem. 29, 1117 (1986)] and by [C. Szmytkowski et al., J. Chem. Phys. 121, 1790 (2004)] respectively. We also report a Ramsauer-Townsend minimum at around 0.7 eV, in conformity with the observations of [S.R. Hunter et al., J. Appl. Phys. 65, 1858 (1989); Z. Nikitović et al., Acta Phys. Polon. A 117, 748 (2010)], and [P.X. Hien et al., J. Phys. Soc. Jpn 82, 034301 (2013)]. Our elastic integral cross section is compared with calculated elastic cross sections of [J.A. Tossell et al., Int. J. Quantum Chem. 29, 1117 (1986)] and of [M. Radmilović-Radjenović et al., Publ. Astron. Obs. Belgrade 84, 57 (2008)] and with the experimental total cross section data of [C. Szmytkowski et al., J. Chem. Phys. 121, 1790 (2004)]. Although all these studies reported the presence of the shape resonance, there are some discrepancies in the magnitude and shape among the cross sections.