INFLUENCE OF THE VIBRATIONAL-EXCITATION OF OZONE ON THE RATE-CONSTANTOF ELECTRON-ATTACHMENT TO O-3 MOLECULES

Experimental and theoretical data on the cross sections for elastic an d inelastic collisions of electrons with ozone molecules are analyzed. A set of cross sections for the interaction of electrons with ozone m olecules is proposed for calculating the electron energy distribution function for small values of the parameter E/N in a low-temperature pl asma. Experimental data (obtained from measurements in a drift tube) o n the rate constants of the dissociative attachment of electrons in oz one (O-3) and its mixture with carbon-dioxide and oxygen molecules all owed us to normalize the set of cross sections in the low electron-ene rgy range (u less than or equal to 1.5 eV) and to calculate the rate c onstants for dissociative attachment and vibrational excitation and al so the electron temperature and the electron drift velocity for E/N < 15 Td in pure ozone. It is shown that, in order to describe the experi mental dependence of the rate constants of electron attachment to ozon e molecules on the parameter E/N, the previously unknown process of th e resonant vibrational excitation of O-3 molecules near the energy thr eshold should be taken into account.