Triply differential (e,2e) cross sections for ionization of the nitrogen molecule at large energy transfer

Measurements of the ( e, 2e) triply differential cross sections ( TDCS) are presented for the ionization of the nitrogen molecule in coplanar asymmetric geometry at an incident energy of about 600 eV and a large energy transfer to the target. The experimental results are compared with state- of- the- art available theoretical models for treating differential electron impact ionization of molecules. The experimental TDCS are characterized by a shift towards larger angles of the angular distribution with respect to the momentum transfer direction, and by a large intensity in the recoil region, especially for ionization of the 'inner' 2 sigma(g) molecular orbital. Such shifts and intensity enhancement are not predicted by the model calculations which rather yield a TDCS symmetrically distributed around the momentum transfer direction.