Vibrational excitation of hydrogen fluoride by low-energy electrons:: theory and experiment

Vibrational excitation (VE) of HF by low-energy electrons has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. A new nonlocal resonance model has been constructed based on ab initio calculations of the coupling between a discrete state and continuum states. VE and resonant elastic cross sections have been calculated for a set of initial vibrational states of the molecular target. New high-resolution measurements of VE cross sections for the transitions v = 0 --> 1,..., 4 have been carried out. The calculated cross sections are in good agreement with the experimental data, indicating that the mechanisms responsible for the rich threshold structures found in the collision cross sections of HF are well understood.