Dissociative recombination and vibrational excitation of BF$^{+}$ in low energy electron collisions

TL;DR

This paper reviews molecular data for BF, analyzes its dissociative recombination and vibrational excitation mechanisms, and computes cross sections and rate-coefficients using MQDT for low-temperature plasma applications.

Contribution

It provides the first calculation of cross sections and rate-coefficients for BF$^+$ dissociative processes using multichannel quantum defect theory.

Findings

Cross sections for BF$^+$ dissociative recombination are computed for the first time.

Maxwellian rate-coefficients are provided for low-temperature plasma modeling.

Analysis of fragmentation pathways and mechanisms of BF$^+$.

Abstract

The latest molecular data - potential energy curves and Rydberg-valence interactions - characterising the super-excited electronic states of BF are reviewed in order to provide the input for the study of their fragmentation dynamics. Starting from this input, the main paths and mechanisms of BF$^+$ dissociative recombination and vibrational excitation are analysed. Their cross sections are computed for the first time using a method based on the multichannel quantum defect theory (MQDT), and Maxwellian rate-coefficients are calculated and displayed in ready-to-be-used format for low temperature plasma kinetics simulations.