Scattering of low-energy electrons by positive ions in a magnetic field. II. Resonances, transition probabilities, and transport frequencies

We analyze quantum-mechanically electron-ion collisions in a magnetic field at a low temperature, for which the electron's thermal energy is less than the energy gap between two Landau levels and the electron's Larmor radius is less than the characteristic impact parameter of close collisions without the magnetic field. To calculate transition probabilities, we use the analytical procedure proposed in the first part of our paper. We calculate the energy and lifetime of the resonant (autoionization) states of an electron embedded in the Coulomb electric field of an ion and in a uniform magnetic field. The obtained values coincide in order of magnitude with the known exact numerical values. We find that the electron backward scattering probability irregularly (chaotically) depends on the particle energy and the magnetic field. We propose analytical approximations for the collision transport frequencies, one of which describes the electron braking along the magnetic field and another, equalizing of the temperatures corresponding to the electron motion along and across the magnetic field.