ELECTRONIC EXCITATION OF H2O BY ELECTRON-IMPACT

Recently we made calculations of differential and integral cross sections for the X(1)A(1) --> (3)A(1)(3a(1) --> 3sa(1)) transition in H2O in the energy range of 12-30 eV, where the distorted-wave approximation was applied for the first time to study the electronic excitation of a nonlinear polyatomic target by electron impact. In the present work we make an extension of this calculation for that transition to the energy range 40-150 eV. Calculations of cross sections for the X(1)A(1) --> (3)A(1)(3a(1) --> 3pa(1)) transition in the energy range 14-150 eV are also reported. The present study is the first theoretical investigation of electron-impact excitation of the channel 3a(1) --> 3pa(1) in this nonlinear molecule.