The use of the Rutherford cross section for elastic scattering of electrons at low beam energies and high atomic number targets

A modified version of the Rutherford elastic scattering cross section containing a universal relationship of the screening parameter as a function of electron energy, the target atomic number and density is proposed. The modified formula has been used to predict the backscattering coefficient η, the Auger backscattering factor and its spectral background in the energy range 200-2500 eV. The results obtained compare well with the experimental values.