Resonant mechanisms in the vibrational excitation of ground state O-2

We present new experimental and theoretical results for e(-)-O-2 collisions which demonstrate the dominant contribution of the (4) Sigma(u)(-) resonance and the significant contribution of the (2) Sigma(u)(-) resonance to the X(3) Sigma(g)(-) ground state vibrational excitation cross sections in the energy range 4-15 eV. This work, combined with earlier studies by the present and other workers, shows that low-energy vibrationally and electronically inelastic cross sections can be quantitatively understood in terms of four resonances with (2) Pi(g), (2) Pi(u), (4) Sigma(u)(-), and (2) Sigma(u)(-) symmetries.