Multicenter distorted-wave method for fast-electron-impact single ionization of molecules

Abstract

A multicenter distorted-wave (MCDW) method for fast-electron-impact single ionization of a molecular system in the coplanar-asymmetric kinematics is developed. Plane waves are used to describe the fast incoming and outgoing electrons and the multicenter nature of the molecule is considered by describing the slow ejected electron with the multicenter distorted wave, which is solved from the anisotropic multicenter potential between the ejected electron and the ionic molecule. The MCDW method improves the conventional molecular distorted-wave methods, whose distorted wave is solved from the spherically averaged isotropic potential. The application to the water molecule shows reasonable agreement with the available experimental data.