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Double differential cross section studies for secondary electron emission from N2O under proton impact

Aditya Yadav1, Shikha Chandra2,3, Samiksha Dehru1, Debasmita Chakraborty2,4, Laszlo Gulyás5, Lokesh C. Tribedi1,2,3,*, and Arnab Khan1,†

  • *Contact author: lokesh@tifr.res.in
  • †Contact author: arnabk@iiserb.ac.in
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Phys. Rev. A 114, 032817 – Published 14 September, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/dzkg-kcsv

Abstract

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is an important atmospheric molecule whose interaction with charged particles is relevant for radiation-driven processes in environmental and applied sciences. In this work, we investigate the energy and angular distributions of the absolute double differential cross section  for secondary electrons emitted from N2O molecules in collisions with 100-keV protons. Measurements are performed for electron energies between 1 and 400 eV and emission angles ranging from 20° to 160°. The experimental results are compared with the theoretical predictions within the continuum distorted wave–eikonal initial state (CDW-EIS) framework. The molecular electronic structure is described at the Hartree-Fock level, and the bound molecular orbitals are represented through a single-center expansion with symmetry-adapted angular functions. The data exhibit good agreement at low electron energies, while deviations grow at higher energies and backward emission angles. By combining precise measurements with detailed theoretical analysis, the present work establishes stringent benchmarks for theory and advances the understanding of electron emission involving environmentally important molecules.

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Phys. Rev. A 114, 032817– Published 14 September, 2026
  • Received 24 March 2026
  • Accepted 26 August 2026
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