Benchmark calculations for electron collisions with FeII

We have applied the $B$-spline $R$-matrix method~[1] to study electron collisions with Fe$^+$ over an energy range from threshold to 10$\,$Ry. A major challenge for this astrophysically important collision system is the very complex target structure, with a strong term-dependence in the individual orbitals. Using a multi-configuration Hartree-Fock method with non-orthogonal orbitals, we generated a target description of unprecedented accuracy in collision calculations. Our results for individual cross sections and effective collision strengths are in qualitative agreement with the predictions by Ramsbottom {\it et al.}~[2]. A few significant discrepancies are found in the low-energy regime, which is dominated by resonance structures. [1] O. Zatsarinny and C. Froese Fischer, J. Phys. B~{\bf 33}, 313 (2000). [2] C.A. Ramsbottom, C.J. Noble, V.M. Burke, M.P. Scott and P.G. Burke, J. Phys. B~{\bf 37}, 3609 (2004).