Bethe binary-encounter peaks in the double-differential cross sections for high-energy electron-impact ionization of H2 and He

We study the Bethe binary-encounter (BE) region in the ejected-electron double-differential emission spectrum of H2 and He targets in collisions with 8-keV electrons. We compare the absolute cross sections for these isoelectronic systems at high emission energies. The experimental data are analyzed in terms of a state-of-the-art theoretical model based on a two-effective-center approximation. In the case of the H2 molecule the binary peak in the double-differential cross sections (DDCS) is enhanced due to the two-center Young-type interference. The observed undulation in the DDCS ratio is explained in terms of the combined contributions of the Compton profile mismatch and the interference effect. The influence of the interference effect is thus observed for higher-energy electrons compared to most of the earlier studies which focused on low-energy electrons produced in soft collisions.