Excitation of Molecular Rotation by Slow Electrons. II

Abstract
A previous study is here extended to consider the effects on rotational excitation of the nonvanishing electronic spin of O2 and the short-range static fields of the H2, N2, and O2 molecules. The spin effect is found to be negligible, while the effect of short-range interactions can be quite large in certain energy regions. This permits a qualitative explanation of the heretofore unexplained ratio of the observed electron relaxation rates in oxygen and nitrogen.