Abstract
The semiclassical approach is developed to calculate the cross sections of vibrational excitation and dissociative attachment for diatomic molecules within the framework of the 'boomerang model'. The cross sections are shown to factorise in this approximation. This feature results from the fact that processes proceed via two stages-capture of the incident electron into an intermediate state and the decay of this state. The formulae obtained reveal the energy dependence of the cross sections on the parameters of the system. Numerical calculations for N2, CO, H2, HD and D2 confirm the high accuracy of the method.