Semiclassical explanation of the generalized Ramsauer-Townsend minima in electron-atom scattering

The generalized Ramsauer-Townsend minima which occur, at certain scattering angles, in the intensity of electrons elastically scattered by atoms have been a subject of interest in atomic physics for over sixty years. While quantum mechanical calculations predict these minima with great accuracy, no clear, simple, intuitively appealing description of the underlying scattering processes has been given. It is shown here for the first time that simple semiclassical calculations provide such a description.