Diffraction in low-energy electron scattering from DNA: Bridging gas-phase and solid-state theory

Using high-quality gas phase electron scattering calculations and multiple scattering theory, we attempt to gain insights into the radiation damage to DNA induced by secondary low-energy electrons in the condensed phase, and to bridge the existing gap with the gas phase theory and experiments. The origin of different resonant features (arising from single molecules or diffraction) is discussed and the calculations are compared to existing experiments in thin films.