Excitation of vibrational quanta in water by electron impact

A comprehensive study of absolute differential cross sections (DCSs) for electron impact excitation of the bending (010) and unresolved stretching (100 + 001) vibrational quanta of water (H2O) is reported. Eight incident electron energies (E-0) in the range 6-20 eV were investigated, and the scattered electron angular range was 10 degrees -135 degrees. integral cross sections (ICSs) were derived from the corresponding vibrational DCSs using a molecular phase shift analysis technique. The self-consistency of these vibrational ICSs was considered by summing them, at each E-0, with available elastic and ionization ICS to provide estimates for the H2O grand total cross section (GTS), which could then be checked against the independent GTSs of Szmytkowski (1987 Chem. Phys. Lett. 136 363) and Sueoka et nl (1986 J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Phys. 19 L373). Good agreement was typically found.