Low-energy positron and electron scattering from nitrogen dioxide

Total cross section (TCS) measurements for positron scattering from nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) are presented in the energy range 0.2-40 eV. The TCS, the elastic integral and differential cross sections, and the integral cross section accounting of all the inelastic processes (including positronium formation) have also been computed using the independent atom model with screening corrected additivity rule (IAM-SCAR) for incident energies from 1 to 1000 eV. A qualitative level of agreement is found between the present TCS experiment and theory at the common energies. As no previous measurements or calculations for positron-NO₂ scattering exist in the literature, we also computed the TCS for electron collisions with NO₂ employing the IAM-SCAR method. A comparison of those results to the present positron cross sections and the earlier electron-impact data and calculations is provided. To investigate the role that chemical substitution plays in positron scattering phenomena, we also compare the present positron-NO₂ data with the TCSs measured at the University of Trento for positron scattering from N ₂O and CO₂.