An investigation of the scaling of plane-wave born cross sections for positron-H2 considering the positronium-formation channel

•A study using the scaling Born approximation for positron is proposed.•The mechanism is new in excitations of atoms and molecules.•Positronium-formation is qualitatively explored using the scaling Born model.•The results are accurate compared with sophisticated theories and experimental data.

Cross sections for positron-H2 scattering using positronium formation have been studied using the scaled plane-wave Born approximation, originally proposed by Kim [Y. K. Kim, Phys. Rev. A 64, 032713 (2001)] for electron scattering. The modified scaling for positron scattering is simpler than the scaling for electron scattering. Moreover, the former converts the present first Born approximation into accurate results comparable to the convergent close coupling results. Comparisons to available theoretical and experimental data on positron-H2 scattering are presented.