This award supports cooperative research in molecular-electron collisions and photoionization between Vincent McKoy at Caltech and three Brazilian colleagues: M.A.P. Lima and L.M. Brescansin of the Universidad Estadual de Campinas, and L.E. Machado, of the Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos in Brazil. The researchers intend to study the collisions of low-energy electrons with molecules and the photoionization of nonlinear polyatomic molecules. This work is based on a Schwinger variational principle specifically formulated for electron-molecule collisions and, for molecular photoionization, on a numerical solution of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation using separable potentials. Professor McKoy's group at Caltech is one of the leading groups in the area of electron impact molecular excitations. Their publications have been of highest quality and he has a wide international reputation. The Brazilian scientists have all worked with the group at Caltech in recent years and have established research groups in Brazil with graduate students and other scientists. The proposed work will continue their fruitful international collaboration.
