Differential cross sections for electron-impact ionization of neon

We extend the time-dependent close-coupling method to the calculation of triple differential cross sections for electron impact ionization of neon. Our calculations explore some effects of scattering from a p-orbital target compared to other s-orbital targets. We also present single differential cross sections and compare to previous measurements.

Our angular distribution calculations extend our previous work that supports modeling of runaway electrons in plasma kinetics modeling. As in lighter targets, we find that the largest cross sections occur when the scattered electron retains most of the available energy after ionization and is almost undeflected by the target. The angular distribution of the ejected electron, however, is strongly peaked at momentum transfer directions away from the scattered electron, in contrast with the isotropic distribution commonly assumed in plasma simulations of electron kinetics. We discuss our calculations and explore the consequences for the inclusion of these angular distributions in such simulations.