EXCITATION OF THE COPPER ATOM BY ELECTRON-IMPACT

The method of extended crossing beams was used to investigate inelasti c collisions of copper atoms with slow monokinetic electrons. The exci tation cross sections of 160 spectral lines of the copper atom, locate d in the range 202-810 nm, were determined at the exciting electron en ergy 50 eV. Seventy-nine optical excitation functions were found in th e electron energy range from the threshold to 250 eV. For the spectral series 4p(2)P(0)-ns(2)S and nd(2)D the dependences of the cross secti ons on the principal quantum number of the upper level were of the pow er-law type, but strong perturbations were observed for the 4s(2 2)D-n p(2)P(0) series. The results obtained were used to calculate the excit ation cross sections of 19 energy levels of the copper atom. The resul ts were compared with those obtained by other authors.