A semiclassical model of polarisation forces in atomic scattering

Low-energy elastic, differential and integral, collision cross sections for electron scattering from rare gas atoms are calculated using a simplified model treatment of the short-range polarisation forces already applied successfully to helium atoms (De Fazio et al., 1994). Static and exchange contributions to the total interaction are treated exactly, while a global semiclassical model provides a simple procedure for the short-range damping of all the long-range adiabatic terms which asymptotically lead to the polarisation forces. The results are compared with several available experimental findings for Ne and Ar atoms. The higher order terms in the perturbation expansion are found to have little effect on the cross sections and then only at low energies and in the small-angle region.Von Humboldt Stiftung Forschungspreisträger (1992)