Angular distributions for electron-impact excitation of atomic oxygen

Differential cross sections for excitation of the 3s ³S° and 3p ³P states of atomic oxygen by electron impact are calculated in a close-coupling approximation at energies 13.87, 20, 30, and 50 eV. We include 2p^{4 3}P, 3s ^5,3S°, 3p ^5,3P, 4s ^5,3S°, 3 ^5,3D°, 4p ^5,3P, and 3s' ³D° states of atomic oxygen in the close-coupling expansion. The present results are in good agreement with the recent experiments for the resonance ³P-3s ³S° transition, but there are discrepancies between theory and experiment for the electric dipole-forbidden ³P-3p ³P transition.