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NIST NSRDS 64 

NIST Electron Elastic-Scattering 

Cross-Section Database 

Version 4.0 

User’s Guide 

A. Jablonski 

F. Salvat 

C. J. Powell 

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http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.NSRDS.64 
 

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NIST NSRDS 64
 

NIST Electron Elastic-Scattering 

Cross-Section Database 

Version 4.0 

User’s Guide 

A. Jablonski 

Polish Academy of Sciences 

F. Salvat 

Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona 

C. J. Powell 

Materials Measurement Science Division 

Material Measurement Laboratory 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

This publication is available free of charge from: 

http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.NSRDS.64 

September 2016 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

Penny Pritzker, Secretary 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Willie May, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director 
________________________ 

 

________________________ 

________________________ 

This publication is available free of charge from http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.NSRDS.64 

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses its best efforts to deliver a high 

quality version of the database and to verify that the data contained therein have been selected on 

the basis of sound scientific judgment. However, NIST makes no warranties to that effect, and 

NIST shall not be liable for any damage that may result from errors or omissions in the database. 

Certain trade names and company products are mentioned in the text to specify adequately the 

computer products and equipment needed to use this software. In no case does such identification 

imply endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology of these computer 

products and equipment, nor does it imply that the products are necessarily the best available for 

the purpose. 

For a literature citation, the database should be viewed as a book published by NIST. The citation 

would therefore be: 

A. Jablonski, F. Salvat, C. J. Powell, and A. Y. Lee, NIST Electron Elastic-Scattering CrossSection Database - Version 4.0, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, 

MD (2016); http://srdata.nist.gov/srd64/, retrieved [date of access]. 

©2016 copyright by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce on behalf of the United States of America. 

All rights reserved. No part of this database may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or 

transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or 

otherwise, without the prior written permission of the distributor. 

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
 

1. Introduction 1
 

2. Operation of the Database 3
 

2.1 Elastic-Scattering Cross Sections 3
 

2.2 Transport Cross Sections 9
 

2.3 Search Option 13
 

2.4 Access the Database button 13
 

2.5 More Options 14
 

3. Theory 15
 

3.1 Differential Cross Sections for Elastic Scattering 15
 

3.2 Transport Cross Sections 18
 

4. References 20
 

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1. Introduction 

Theoretical description of electron transport in solids is important in radiation physics, electron 

lithography, electron-probe microanalysis, analytical electron microscopy, and surface analysis by 

Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In these and 

other applications, the trajectories of electrons in a solid are generally modified by single and 

multiple elastic-scattering events. An evaluation of the effects of elastic scattering on the process 

of interest requires knowledge of the cross sections for electron elastic scattering by the constituent 

atoms of the particular solid. Although calculated and measured electron elastic-scattering cross 

sections are available in the literature for selected elements and a limited number of electron 

energies, this information is incomplete and insufficient for general use. 

NIST released Version 1.0 of the Elastic-Electron-Scattering Cross-Section Database (SRD 64) in 

1996. This version provided differential and total elastic-scattering cross sections for elements 

with atomic numbers from 1 to 96 and for electron energies between 50 eV and 9999 eV in steps 

of 1 eV. These cross sections were calculated using the Thomas-Fermi-Dirac potential to describe 

the interaction between an electron and an atom, and using both relativistic and non-relativistic 

models. This version was designed for analyses of the transport of signal electrons in AES and 

XPS although it could, of course, be used for other applications. 

Version 2.0 of the database was released in 2000. In this version, the upper electron-energy limit 

was extended to 20 keV, and phase shifts and transport cross sections were also provided. The 

elastic-scattering cross sections, phase shifts, and transport cross sections, however, were obtained 

only with a relativistic model because this was believed to be more reliable than the non-relativistic 

model. 

Version 3.0 of the database was released in 2002, and contained two major changes. First, the 

differential elastic-scattering cross sections, total elastic-scattering cross sections, phase shifts, and 

transport cross sections were calculated from a relativistic Dirac partial-wave analysis in which 

the potentials were obtained from Dirac-Hartree-Fock electron densities computed selfconsistently for free atoms. This potential is believed to be more reliable than the Thomas-FermiDirac potential used previously [1]. Differences in elastic-scattering cross sections and transport 

cross sections resulting from this change of potential were described in a review article [1]. 

In addition, it is possible in Version 3.0 to create and/or print files illustrating variation of 

differential elastic-scattering cross sections versus scattering angle for one or more elements or for 

one or more energies. Some of the database screens were redesigned as a result of the increase in 

the upper electron-energy limit to 300 keV. 

Version 3.1 of the database, issued in August, 2003, contains two corrections to Version 3.0. First, 

a numerical mistake was found in the calculation of differential cross sections for a small number 

of elements and energies (e.g., F at 300 eV). Second, the routine used for interpolations between 

differential cross sections at certain scattering angles was found to be inadequate in the vicinity of 

deep minima in the differential cross sections (e.g., Cu at 319 eV). The libraries of cross-section 

data and the software have been revised to correct these problems. 

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Version 3.2 of the database was issued in December, 2010. The installation program for Version 

3.2 was changed so that it would operate on newer versions of the Windows operating system. 

There were no changes or additions to the data in the database although a new About box was 

added to the main menu. This box shows two references, a 2004 critical review [1] and a 2005 

review [2], that discuss evaluations of the compiled data, methods of determination, and 

uncertainty. 

Version 3.2 of the Electron Elastic-Scattering Cross-Section Database had the following 

capabilities: 

•	 Graphical display of differential elastic-scattering cross sections in different coordinate 

systems 

•	 Graphical display of the dependence of transport cross sections on electron energy 

•	 Display of numerical values of differential elastic-scattering cross sections, total elasticscattering cross sections, and transport cross sections 

•	 Creation of files containing differential elastic-scattering cross sections for specified 

elements, energies and coordinates 

•	 Creation of files containing plots of differential elastic-scattering cross sections versus 

scattering angle for one or more elements or for one or more electron energies 

•	 Creation of files containing phase shifts for specified elements and for energies up to 

20,000 eV 

•	 Creation of files containing transport cross sections for specified elements and energies 

•	 Creation of random number generators providing the polar scattering angles to be used in 

Monte Carlo simulations of electron transport in solids; and 

•	 Runs of the random number generators 

Version 4.0 of the database was released in August, 2016. The database has been redesigned to 

operate in a user’s browser rather than as an installed database on a personal computer with the 

Windows operating system. All screens have been redesigned. The database now provides 

differential elastic-scattering cross section and transport cross sections, as in previous versions. 

Graphical displays of these cross sections are available as before. Three types of data files can be 

downloaded: 

•	 Javascript object notation (JSON) files 

•	 Comma separated variable (CSV) files that can be opened by spreadsheet software 

•	 Text files that can be easily read by user programs. 

Phase Shifts are not provided in Version 4.0 of the database. 

The differential elastic-scattering cross sections (DCSs) were calculated using the relativistic Dirac 

partial-wave method, as described by Walker [3]. The scattering potential was obtained from the 

self-consistent Dirac-Hartree-Fock electron density for free atoms [4] with the local exchange 

potential of Furness and McCarthy [5]. The numerical calculations were performed with the 

algorithm described by Salvat and Mayol [6]. Transport cross sections were calculated from the 

DCSs as described by Jablonski et al. [1]. 

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2. Operation of the Database 

Version 4.0 of the database has been designed to make operation of the database as easy and 

intuitive as possible. Help information is available on many of the screens. 

Figure 1 shows the upper portion of the introductory screen. A user can click on one of the first 

two main menu options in the upper part of this screen, Elastic-Scattering Cross Sections or 

Transport Cross Sections, to go directly to screens that will provide the desired data after 

selection of an element from the Periodic Table, as described in Sections 2.1 or 2.2, respectively. 

Alternatively, a user can choose to click on the third main menu option, Search, or on the Access 

the Database button to enter the symbol for an element and then select the desired data, as 

described in Sections 2.3 and 2.4, respectively. The More Options button will be described in 

Section 2.5. 

Fig. 1. Upper portion of the introductory screen. 

2.1 Elastic-Scattering Cross Sections 

After clicking on Elastic-Scattering Cross Sections, the first main menu option on the 

introductory screen, a Periodic Table of the elements will appear, as shown in Fig. 2. The user will 

then click on the symbol of the desired element and the screen of Fig. 3 will appear. For the 

example screen of Fig. 3, Au has been chosen together with an electron energy of 50 eV. 

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Fig. 2. Screen for selecting an element. 

Fig. 3. Screen for selecting electron energy and coordinates. 

A selection then needs to be made in the screen of Fig. 3 of the coordinates for display of the 

differential elastic-scattering cross section. Three coordinate systems are available for electron 

energies of 20 keV and below in which the differential elastic-scattering cross section is expressed 

with respect to solid angle Ω, polar scattering angle θ, or sin(θ/2): 

(a) dσ / dΩ versus θ

(b) dσ / dθ versus θ

(c) dσ / d sin( θ / 2) versus sin(θ / 2) 

In the latter case, the cross section dσ / d sin( θ / 2) is related to the differential cross section for 

electron momentum change dσ / dq . The quantity q is defined by q = K′-K where K and K' 

are wave vectors before and after an elastic collision. We have: 

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dσ dσ = 2K 

d sin( θ / 2) dq 

where K = K . For electron energies of 20 001 eV and above, cross sections are available only 

in dσ / dΩ versus θ coordinates. 

The elastic-scattering cross sections calculated by the database are expressed in units involving the 

square of the Bohr radius a0 (the radius of the first Bohr orbit of the hydrogen atom) where 

a0 = 5.291 772 1 x 10-11 m and a0

2 = 2.800 285 2 x 10-21 m2

. The specific units for the cross 

sections in the different coordinate systems are as follows: 

(a) a0

2 /steradian for the dσ/dΩ versus θ coordinate system; 

(b) a0

2 /radian for the dσ/dθ versus θ coordinate system; and 

(c) a0

2 for the dσ/d sin(θ / 2) versus sin(θ / 2) coordinate system. 

These units are used in the screen displays and in the files created by the database. 

Fig. 4(a). Screen showing the differential cross section for Au in dσ/dΩ versus θ coordinates at 

50 eV on semi-logarithmic scales. 

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After selection of the electron energy and the coordinate system on the screen of Fig. 3, the user 

will click Display and the screen of Fig. 4(a) will appear. For this example, the DCS for Au in the 

dσ / dΩ versus θ coordinate system is shown for an energy of 50 eV. 

For cross sections in dσ / dΩ versus θ coordinates and for electron energies of 20 keV and below, 

the differential cross sections can be displayed on logarithmic or linear scales versus polar 

scattering angle on a linear scale. For Fig. 4(a), the DCS is displayed on a semi-logarithmic scale 

while the DCS on a linear scale is shown in Fig. 4(b). 

Fig. 4(b). Screen showing the differential cross section for Au in dσ/dΩ versus θ coordinates at 

50 eV on linear scales. 

The initially selected energy can be changed by clicking the + energy or - energy buttons; these 

changes will occur in steps of 1 eV, 10 eV, 100 eV, or 1000 eV (within the range 50 eV to 20 

keV). The total cross section for the selected energy is given above the plot. 

For electron energies of 20 001 eV and above, the differential cross sections can be displayed only 

sections in dσ / dΩ versus θ coordinates. Displays can be shown on logarithmic scales, as shown 

in Fig. 5(a), or on semi-logarithmic scales, as shown in Fig. 5(b). For these examples, the DCS for 

Au is shown for an energy of 50 keV. The initially selected energy can be varied in steps of 10 eV, 

100 eV, 1 keV, or 10 keV. 

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Fig. 5(a). Screen showing the differential cross section for Au in dσ/dΩ versus θ coordinates at 

50 keV on logarithmic scales. 

Fig. 5(b). Screen showing the differential cross section for Au in dσ/dΩ versus θ coordinates at 

50 keV on semi-logarithmic scales. 

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Fig. 6. Screen showing the differential cross section for Au in dσ / dθ versus θ coordinates at 

50 eV on linear scales. 

Fig. 7. Screen showing the differential cross section for Au in dσ / d sin( θ / 2) versus sin(θ / 2) 

coordinates at 50 eV on linear scales. 

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If the cursor is moved into the area of a graphical display, a vertical red line will appear. Clicking 

in the vicinity of a crossing point of this line and the graph will display the X,Y values at this point. 

Figures 6 and 7 show example plots of the DCS for Au at 50 eV in the dσ / dθ versus θ and 

dσ / d sin( θ / 2) versus sin(θ / 2) coordinate systems, respectively. 

If the View Data button is clicked (e.g., at the bottom of the example screens in Figs. 4 to 7), a 

Table will appear of the numerical data used in the preparation of the particular plot. The user can 

choose to download the data in one of the three available formats (JSON, CSV, or text files) by 

clicking on the corresponding JSON Data File, CSV Data File, or Text Data File buttons. 

2.2 Transport Cross Sections 

The definition of the transport cross section is given in Section 3. If the Transport Cross Sections 

option of the main menu (Fig. 1) is chosen, a submenu of three choices appears: 

(a) Display TCS (transport cross-section) values 

(b) Single/multiple TCS (transport cross-section) values 

(c) Table of TCS (transport cross-section) values 

For each option, a screen with the Periodic Table appears (similar to Fig. 2) and the user selects 

an element of interest. The following screens for options (a), (b), and (c) enable TCS data for the 

selected element to be displayed graphically as a function of energy, allow TCS data for userspecified energies to be displayed, and enable TCS data to be displayed at regularly spaced electron 

energies, respectively. Files containing TCS values can be downloaded for all three options. The 

TCS values are shown in units of a0

2 . 

For option (a), a user will first select an initial energy (between 50 eV and 300 keV), as shown in 

Fig. 8. In this example, Au had been previously chosen and an initial energy of 1000 eV has been 

selected. 

Fig. 8. Screen for selecting initial electron energy. 

TCS values are displayed as a function of electron energy in either of two energy ranges, 50 eV to 

20 keV or 1 keV to 300 keV, depending on the user's choice of an initial energy. Example screens 

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are shown in Figs. 9(a) and 9(b) for Au with initial energies of 1000 eV and 50 keV, respectively. 

A value of the transport cross section for the chosen initial energy is then displayed above the plot. 

The selected initial energy can be changed by clicking on the + energy or - energy buttons; these 

changes will occur in steps of 1 eV, 10 eV, 100 eV, or 1000 eV depending on the choice of button 

selected. The energy dependence of the cross section can be displayed on linear, semi-logarithmic, 

or logarithmic scales; these scales are chosen with the buttons in the upper-right part of the screen. 

Fig. 9(a). Screen showing the energy dependence of the transport cross section for Au in the 

energy range from 50 eV to 20 keV. 

If the cursor is moved into the area of a graphical display, a vertical red line will appear. Clicking 

in the vicinity of a crossing point of this line and the graph will display the X,Y values at this point. 

If the View Data button is clicked (e.g., at the bottom of the example screens in Figs. 9(a) and 

9(b)), a Table will appear of the numerical data used in the preparation of the particular plot. The 

user can choose to download the data in one of the three available formats (JSON, CSV, or text 

files) by clicking on the corresponding JSON Data File, CSV Data File, or Text Data File 

buttons. 

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Fig. 9(b). Screen showing the energy dependence of the transport cross section for Au in the 

energy range from 1 keV to 300 keV. 

For option (b), the user can display transport cross sections for one or more electron energies and 

create files with these values using the screen shown in Fig. 10 (after selection of Au for this 

example). The user enters the energy value of interest (between 50 eV and 300 keV) in a box. On 

clicking the Add button, the transport cross section for this energy is calculated and displayed in 

the box in the central part of the screen. Additional energies can be entered in the same way and 

the corresponding transport cross sections will be displayed in the central box. The user can then 

choose to download the TCS data in one of the three available file formats. 

With option (c), the user can display a Table of transport cross sections at regularly spaced electron 

energies. The screen of Fig. 11 appears (after selection of Au for this example) and the user enters 

the number of transport-cross-section values desired (with a maximum of 401 values) and the 

minimum and maximum energies. The user also chooses whether the electron energies should be 

distributed linearly or logarithmically in the specified energy range by selecting one of the buttons. 

After clicking the Create button, the Table of cross section values is calculated and displayed as 

shown in Fig. 12. As for options (a) and (b), a user can choose to download the data in one of the 

three available formats (JSON, CSV, or text files) by clicking on the corresponding JSON Data 

File, CSV Data File, or Text Data File buttons. 

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Fig. 10. Transport cross sections calculated for Au at selected energies. 

Fig. 11. Screen for creating a Table of transport cross section values. 

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Fig. 12. Screen showing part of a Table of transport cross sections for Au at the indicated 

energies. 

2.3 Search Option 

Clicking the Search option on the main menu brings the screen shown in Fig. 13(a) which allows 

a user to enter an elemental symbol in the box. After clicking the Search button on this screen, the 

screen shown in Fig. 13(b) appears. The user can then click on the appropriate link to obtain elasticscattering cross sections or transport cross sections (with the options of displaying TCS values, 

obtaining single or multiple TCS values at user-specified energies, or creating a Table of TCS 

values, as described in Section 2.2). 

2.4 Access the Database button 

The Access the Database option on the introductory screen (Fig. 1) provides the same functions 

as the Search option on the main menu (Section 2.3). 

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Fig. 13(a). Screen for selection of an element from the Search option. 

Fig. 13(b). Screen showing options for obtaining differential and total elastic-scattering cross 

sections and for obtaining transport cross sections from the Search option. 

2.5 More Options 

The More Options button on the introductory screen (Fig. 1) allows the user to access the 

following information: 

•	 About (with basic information on the database and two references [1,2] that discuss 

evaluation of the data, methods of determination, and uncertainty) 

•	 Introduction (with the text given on the introductory screen) 

•	 Acknowledgments 

•	 Version History 

•	 Disclaimers 

•	 Citation Guide 

•	 Contact Information 

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3. Theory 

3.1 Differential Cross Sections for Elastic Scattering 

The differential cross sections (DCSs) for elastic scattering were calculated using the relativistic 

Dirac partial-wave analysis, as described by Walker [3]. The scattering potential was obtained 

from the self-consistent Dirac-Hartree-Fock (DHF) density for free atoms [4] with the local 

exchange potential of Furness and McCarthy [5]. The numerical calculations were performed with 

the algorithm described by Salvat and Mayol [6]. Further details are given elsewhere [1,2]. 

The DCS is related to the phase shifts, δ l 

± , of order l by the following expressions [3]: 

2 2 dσ , (1) e / dΩ = f (θ ) + g(θ ) 

where f (θ ) and g(θ ) are the direct and indirect scattering amplitudes, respectively, given by: 

1 + − f (θ ) = ∑{(l +1)[exp(2iδ l ) −1] + l[exp(2iδ l ) −1] }Pl (cos θ ) (2) 2iK l 

1 − + 1

g(θ ) = ∑[exp(2iδ l ) − exp(2iδ )]Pl (cos θ ) . (3) 2iK l 

In Eqs. (2) and (3), Pl(θ) are Legendre polynomials, and Pl

1

(θ) are associated Legendre 

polynomials: 

2 1 / 2 dPl (z) Pl 1

(z) = (1− z ) . dz 

The phase shifts δ l 

± are obtained from the large-r behavior of the radial wave functions, Pl 

±

(r) 

and Ql 

± (r) which are calculated by integrating the radial Dirac equations: 

± ± 2 dPl k ± E −V + 2mc ± = − Pl (r) + Ql (r) (4a) dr r c

dQl 

± E −V ± k ±

± = − P (r) + Q (r) , (4b) dr c l 

r

l 

where E is the kinetic energy of the projectile electron that is related to its total energy W by 

E = W − mc

2 , V(r) is the interaction potential as a function of radius r, m is the electron rest mass, 

and c is the velocity of light. The solution algorithm implements Bühring’s power-series method 

[7] and is based on a cubic-spline interpolation of the potential function rV (r) which is tabulated 

on a dense grid of r values, 

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r1 = 0 < r2  < rN −1 < rN . (5) 

That is, between each pair of consecutive grid points, rn and rn+1 , the potential function, r V (r), 

is represented as a piecewise cubic polynomial in r: 

rV (r) = a + b r + c r

2 + d r3 . (6) n n n n 

Then, in the interval (r , r ) , the radial functions can be formally expressed by power series: n n+1 

∞ ∞ ± α i ± β i P (r) = r ∑ p r Q (r) = r ∑q r , (7) l i l i 

i=0 i =0 

with coefficients determined by the values of P ± (r ) and Q ± (r ) at the end point of the interval. l n l n 

As these series expansions can be summed up to the required accuracy (9 significant digits in the 

code), truncation errors are practically avoided.
 

The interaction potential V(r) is defined as:
 

V (r) = −eφ(r) +Vexc (r) , (8) 

where φ(r) is the electrostatic potential of the target atom: 

Ze  1 r 

2 

∞ 

φ(r) = − e ρ(r′) 4πr′ dr′ + ρ(r′) 4πr′ dr′ , (9) 

 ∫ ∫ 



r r 0 r 

and where ρ(r) is the atomic electron density that was calculated using the self-consistent DHF 

code of Desclaux [4]. 

The term Vexc (r) in Eq. (8) is a local approximation to the exchange interaction between the 

projectile and the electron in the target; it should not be confused with the exchange interaction 

considered in self-consistent calculations that accounts for exchange between atomic electrons. 

We use the exchange potential of Furness and McCarthy [5]: 

2 2 1 1  2  e 

2 

Vexc (r) = [E + eφ(r)] − [E + eφ(r)] + 4π ρ(r) . (10) 2 2  m 

The interaction potential [Eq. (8)] is thus completely determined by the atomic density ρ(r) . 

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The integration of the radial equations is started from r = 0, with boundary values: 

Pl 

±

(0) = 0 , Ql 

±

(0) = 0 . (11) 

In the first r-interval from r1 = 0 to r2 [Eq. (5)], the constants α and β [Eq. (7)] are different 

from zero and determined by the angular momentum quantum numbers [8]. For the outer intervals 

( r > r2 ), α = β = 0 . 

After determining the values of the radial functions at r2 , the solution is extended outwards by 

using the series expansions [Eq. (7)] (with α = β = 0 ) up to a certain radial distance rmax , large 

enough to ensure that the potential energy of the electron V (r) is negligible as compared to its 

kinetic energy E. For selected elements and at an energy of 10 keV, the maximum ranges, rmax , 

were as follows (in a0 units): 

for Z = 1 = 12.27 rmax

for Z = 13 rmax = 20.15 

for Z = 28 rmax = 17.85 

for Z = 47 rmax = 19.37 

for Z = 79 rmax = 17.11 

for Z = 96 rmax = 21.54 

At an energy of 20 000 eV: 

for Z = 1 rmax = 11.96 

for Z = 13 rmax = 19.75 

for Z = 28 rmax = 17.48 

for Z = 47 rmax = 18.80 

for Z = 79 rmax = 16.74 

for Z = 96 rmax = 21.13 

At sufficiently large distances r, the radial function Pl 

± (r) adopts the asymptotic form: 

± π ± Pl (r) ≅ sin( Kr − l + δ l ) , (12) 2 

where 

1 K = E(E + 2mc

2

) (13) 

c 

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is the momentum of the projectile. Equation (12), which confers a geometrical meaning to the 

phase shift, is not directly usable to compute δ l 

± because Pl 

±

(r) reaches the form given by Eq. 

(12) only at distances r that may be much larger than rmax . Instead, the phase shift is obtained from 

the calculated values of the radial functions at rmax by matching the numerical solution to the exact 

solution for r > rmax (V = 0) which can be expressed as a linear combination of spherical Bessel 

functions, jk (Kr) and nk (Kr) of indices k = l, l ±1 [8]. 

A considerable number of phase shifts was found to be necessary to achieve 8-digit accuracy in 

the calculation of DCSs from Eqs. (1) to (3). At an energy of 10 000 eV, we have: 

for Z = 1 0 ≤ l ≤ 221 

for Z = 13 0 ≤ l ≤ 386 

for Z = 28 0 ≤ l ≤ 343 

for Z = 47 0 ≤ l ≤ 369 

for Z = 79 0 ≤ l ≤ 325 

for Z = 96 0 ≤ l ≤ 422 

At an energy of 20 000 eV: 

for Z = 1 0 ≤ l ≤ 307 

for Z = 13 0 ≤ l ≤ 538 

for Z = 28 0 ≤ l ≤ 478 

for Z = 47 0 ≤ l ≤ 514 

for Z = 79 0 ≤ l ≤ 452 

for Z = 96 0 ≤ l ≤ 589 

The only special functions used in calculations of the DCSs for the DHF potential are spherical 

Bessel functions jl (x) and nl (x) . The algorithm used to compute these functions combines 

several analytical expressions and recurrence relations, and yields results that are accurate to 13 or 

more significant digits. The code used for these calculations was tested for 0 ≤ l ≤ 20 000 and 

0 < x < 20 000. 

3.2 Transport Cross Sections 

Transport cross sections are needed for determination of numerous parameters related to electron 

transport in solids (the depth distribution function, the effective attenuation length, the electron 

mean escape depth, etc.) [9, 10]. The transport cross section describes the mean fractional 

momentum loss due to elastic scattering alone. We denote by k the electron momentum before 

elastic scattering, and by k′, the projection of the momentum after elastic scattering on the initial 

direction. Obviously, k'=k cosθ . We further denote the fractional momentum loss, due to elastic 

scattering alone, by 

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This publication is available free of charge from http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.NSRDS.64 

k -k' 

∆k = . k 

The transport cross section is the product of the mean fractional momentum loss and the total 

elastic-scattering cross section: 

∫ ∆k d ( σ / )dd ΩΩ

σ tr =σ el ∆k =σ el ∫

4 π

(d σ / )dd ΩΩ . (14) 

4 π

Equation (14) can be transformed to: 

π

σ tr = ∫ (12 − cos )(d σθπ / Ω)sin θ dd θ . (15) 

0 

A change of the atomic potential leads to pronounced variation of the differential elastic-scattering 

cross section for small scattering angles and rather small variations for larger scattering angles 

[10]. In the integrand of Eq. (15), we have two functions approaching zero for small scattering 

angles: sin θ and (1− cos θ ) . Consequently, we may expect that the sensitivity of the transport 

cross section to the interaction potential is much smaller than the sensitivity of the total elasticscattering cross section. It has been shown that the transport cross sections values depend very 

weakly on the potential for elements with a wide range of atomic numbers (Be to Au) and for 

electron energies from 100 eV to 10 000 eV [11]. 

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This publication is available free of charge from http://dx.doi.org/10.6028/NIST.NSRDS.64 

4. References 

[1] A. Jablonski, F. Salvat, and C. J. Powell, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 33, 409 (2004). 

[2] F. Salvat, A. Jablonski, and C. J. Powell, Computer Physics Communications 165, 1571 

(2005). 

[3] D. W. Walker, Advances in Physics 20, 257 (1971). 

[4] J. P. Desclaux, Computer Physics Communications 9, 31 (1975); erratum ibid 13, 71 (1977). 

[5] J. B. Furness and I. E. McCarthy, J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Phys. 6, 2280 (1973). 

[6] F. Salvat and R. Mayol, Computer Physics Communications 74, 358 (1993). 

[7]	 W. Bühring, Z. Phys. 187, 180 (1965). 

[8]	 F. Salvat and R. Mayol, Comput. Phys. Comm. 62, 65 (1991). 

[9]	 A. Jablonski and C. J. Powell, J. Electron Spectrosc. Relat. Phenom. 100, 137 (1999). 

[10] A. Jablonski and C. J. Powell, Surf. Science Reports 47, 33 (2002). 

[11] A. Jablonski and C. J. Powell, Surf. Science 463, 29 (2000). 

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