The Scattering of Slow Electrons by Hydrogen Molecules

The differential and integrated cross sections are calculated for the elastic scattering of a slow electron by the hydrogen molecule. The short-range electrostatic interaction is expanded in terms of the spherical harmonics and only the first two terms are taken into account. The long-range polarization and quadrupole interactions are also included. Most of the calculations contained in this paper are carried out, however, for the spherical potential alone. To a certain approximation, the non-spherical potential has been found to be negligible. The exchange effect is taken into consideration through an approximate attractive potential function, similar to Slater's potential in the theory of atomic structure. Results of calculations agree fairly well with experimental data.