H⁰+N₂ collisions at low-kilo-electron-volt energies

Direct scattering (→H⁰), stripping (→H⁺), and electron capture (→H^-) are studied at energies of 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 keV in small-angle H⁰+N₂ collisions. Time-of-flight and electrostatic-energy analysis are used to identify the dominant collision processes. The electronically elastic channel is found to be weak beyond the very smallest scattering angles. As an example, at 1.0 keV, electronically inelastic processes dominate the collision for scattering angles larger than 0.2°. Beyond the smallest angles, both the stripping and electron-capture processes can also result in electronic excitation of the N₂ or N₂⁺. The reduced cross sections, when plotted as a function of reduced scattering angle, are shown to scale reasonably well for each of the three processes studied. © 1996 The American Physical Society.