PARTIAL-DIFFERENTIAL CROSS-SECTIONS FOR THE IONIZATION OF THE SO2 MOLECULE BY ELECTRON-IMPACT

The partial singly differential cross sections (PSDCS) for the ions SO 2+, SO+, (S+,O-2(+)), and O+ resulting from the direct and dissociativ e ionization of the SO2 molecule by the impact of 100 eV electrons, ha ve been calculated employing a semi-empirical approach. Calculations h ave been made as a function of energy loss (the sum of the secondary e lectron energy and the ionization threshold) suffered by the incident electrons. The integral of PSDCS in terms of partial ionization cross sections have also been calculated. No previous experimental data exis ts with which to make comparisons for PSDCS. A critical comparison of the calculated partial and total ionization cross sections with the ex perimental data revealed an agreement within the experimental error ba rs. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.