Calculation of spin-dependent observables in electron-sodium scattering using the coupled-channel optical method

We present calculations of the $3^2$S and $3^2$P spin asymmetries and ${\mathit{L}}_{\mathrm{\perp }}$ for singlet and triplet scattering for projectile energies of 10 and 20 eV. Together these observables give a most stringent test of any electron-atom scattering theory. We find excellent agreement between the results of our coupled-channel optical method and experiment, which for the spin asymmetries can only be obtained by a good description of the couplings between the lower-lying target states and the target continuum.