Elastic and absorption cross sections for electron scattering by ethylene in the intermediate energy range

In this work, we present a joint theoretical and experimental study on electron scattering by C2H4 in the intermediate energy range. Calculated elastic differential, integral, and momentum-transfer as well as total (elastic + inelastic) and absorption cross sections are reported at impact energies ranging from 10 to 500 eV. Also, experimental absolute elastic cross sections are reported in the 100-500 eV range. The measurements were performed using a crossed electron beam-molecular beam geometry. The angular distributions of the scattered electrons were converted to absolute cross sections using the relative flow technique. Theoretically, a complex optical potential was used to represent the electron-molecule interaction dynamics. The Schwinger variational iterative method combined with the distorted-wave approximation was used to solve the scattering equations. The comparison between our calculated and measured results, as well as with other experimental and theoretical data available in the literature, is encouraging.