Cross sections for electronic excitation and ionization in electron scattering on ${\mathrm{H}}_3^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{D}}_3^{+}$ have been calculated using the polyatomic molecular convergent close-coupling (MCCC) method adapted to point-group symmetries. Convergence in both the total excitation and ionization cross sections is established within the MCCC framework, yielding agreement with available experiment at all energies above thresholds. Focusing on comparison with available experiment, kinetic-energy release (KER) cross sections for electron-impact dissociation of ${\mathrm{D}}_3^{+}$ in several initial $v_1$ vibrational modes have been calculated in a one-dimensional model. Cross sections are presented for dissociative excitation through the $1{}^3{E}^{\prime }, 1{}^1{E}^{\prime }, 1{}^3{A}_2^{″}, 1{}^1{A}_2^{″}, 1{}^3{A}_1^{\prime }$, and $2{}^1{A}_1^{\prime }$ excited electronic states of ${\mathrm{D}}_3{}^{+}$ and dissociative ionization through the $1{}^2{A}_1^{\prime }$ state of ${\mathrm{D}}_3{}^{++}$. A model for the branching ratios is proposed for the first six excited electronic states and for ionization. Kinetic-energy release cross sections for the production of ${\mathrm{D}}_2^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{D}}^{+}$ are presented. Reasonable agreement with experimental ${\mathrm{D}}_2^{+}$ KER cross sections is found at incident energies above 20 eV, while good agreement is found with measured ${\mathrm{D}}^{+}$ KER cross sections above 40 eV.

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• Atomic & molecular collisions
• Electron & positron scattering
• Electronic excitation & ionization
• Electronic transitions
• Molecular dissociation
• Scattering theory
• First-principles calculations