Rigorous negative-ion binding energies in low-energy electron elastic collisions with heavy multi-electron atoms and fullerene molecules: validation of electron affinities

Abstract

Dramatically sharp resonances manifesting stable negative-ion formation characterize Regge pole-calculated low-energy electron elastic total cross sections (TCSs) of heavy multi-electron systems. The novelty of the Regge pole analysis is in the extraction of rigorous and unambiguous negative-ion binding energies (BEs), corresponding to the measured electron affinities (EAs) of the investigated multi-electron systems. The measured EAs have engendered the crucial question: is the EA of multi-electron atoms and fullerene molecules identified with the BE of the attached electron in the ground, metastable or excited state of the formed negative-ion during collision? Inconsistencies in the meaning of the measured EAs are elucidated.