Electron-impact dissociation of HCl

A recently developed impact-parameter method is applied to electron-impact dissociation processes involving the A${\mathrm{}}^1$Π state of HCl. Calculations were performed for initial vibrational levels of the X${\mathrm{}}^1$ ${\Sigma }^{+}$ state up to $v_i$=2 and for rotational temperatures to 1000 K. The cross sections increase by approximately 50% from $v_i$=0 to $v_i$=2. The dependence on rotational temperature is small except for an anomalous enhancement at 0 K that the theory predicts for Π states. Since the predicted cross sections are an order of magnitude larger than those for photodissociation, electron-impact dissociation processes will play an important role in lasers involving HCl.