Browsing by Author "Hill, Shannon Bradley"

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    A study of ultra-low energy electron - hydrogen fluoride scattering using high-n Rydberg atoms: Possible role of dipole-supported states
    (1996) Hill, Shannon Bradley; Dunning, F. B.
    A detailed experimental and theoretical study of the interaction of very-low-energy electrons with the polar target HF is presented. This interaction is investigated experimentally by measuring rate constants for ionization and state-changing in collisions between K(np) Rydberg atoms with $90\sbsp{\sim}{<}n\sbsp{\sim}{<}400$ and HF. The data are found to be consistent with the results of rotational close-coupling calculations that include possible effects associated with dipole-supported real or virtual states. The value of this state is effectively the only free parameter in the theoretical model. Comparison with the data suggests that for low energy electron-HF scattering there is a virtual state which, for $J=0,$ has an energy of 1-1.5 meV. The present work points to the importance of dipole supported states in electron-polar molecule scattering.