Electron-Atom Collisions

This book is a comprehensive introduction to electron-atom collisions covering both theory and experiment. The interaction of electrons with atoms is the field that most deeply probes both the structure and reaction dynamics of a many-body system. The book begins with a short account of experimental techniques of cross-section measurement. It then introduces the essential quantum mechanics background needed. The following chapters cover one-electron problems (from the classic particle in a box to a relativistic electron in a central potential) the theory of atomic bound states formal scattering theory calculation of scattering amplitudes spin-independent and spin-dependent scattering observables ionisation and electron momentum spectroscopy. The connections between experimental and theoretical developments are emphasised throughout.