Can someone walk me through in detail what happens when an atom is ionized by colliding with an electron?
I would prefer a solid example so I can understand it more concretely.
What I think:
The electron collides with the atom giving it energy, but then goes away after that.
This energy excites an electron inside the atom, which receives enough energy to leave the atom.
The atom is ionized.
However, I also thought of another way:
The electron collides with the atom and gets bound up in the atom.
The atom is now ionized (negative ion, since extra electron)
Are any of these descriptions correct?
