Calculation of spin-dependent observables in electron-sodium scattering using the coupled-channel optical method

We present calculations of the 3²S and 3²P spin asymmetries and L_⊥ for singlet and triplet scattering for projectile energies of 10 and 20 eV. Together these observables give a most stringent test of any electron-atom scattering theory. We find excellent agreement between the results of our coupled-channel optical method and experiment, which for the spin asymmetries can only be obtained by a good description of the couplings between the lower-lying target states and the target continuum.