Comparison between Crossed-Beam and Target-Gas Methods for Study on Optical Excitation Functions in Electron-Impact of H₂O

Abstract

The so-called “crossed-beam method” and “target-gas method” are applied to the same events of molecular collisions. It is shown that the former method gives reliable informations about the excitation functions for the OH band and the Balmer lines in dissociative and radiative collisions of H₂O with electrons, while the latter does not, at least, in the range of lower energies of incident electrons.