TRIPLE DIFFERENTIAL CROSS-SECTION OF ELECTRON-IMPACT IONIZATION OF NA(3S, 3P, 3D)

The fivefold differential cross section (5DCS) of the ionisation by el ectron impact of atomic sodium is determined theoretically for its fun damental 3s(S-2) state and the excited 3p(P-2) and 3d(D-2) states by a procedure which employs in the transition matrix element of the first order Born approximation, the correlated double continuum (3C) wave f unction. This permits us to determine the statistical M-state populati on and the orientation and alignment tensors in (e; 2e) detection. It is also shown that, the use of Gamow correlation term, in the independ ent particle (2C) model, reproduces, only in some situations; the shap e of the angular distribution of the 5DCS obtained by the (3C) wave fu nction.