Compton scattering of twisted light: angular distribution and polarization of scattered photons

Compton scattering of twisted photons is investigated within a non-relativistic framework using first-order perturbation theory. We formulate the problem in the density matrix theory, which enables one to gain new insights into scattering processes of twisted particles by exploiting the symmetries of the system. In particular, we analyze how the angular distribution and polarization of the scattered photons are affected by the parameters of the initial beam such as the opening angle and the projection of orbital angular momentum. We present analytical and numerical results for the angular distribution and the polarization of Compton scattered photons for initially twisted light and compare them with the standard case of plane-wave light

Negative-continuum dielectronic recombination into excited states of highly-charged ions

The recombination of a free electron into a bound state of bare, heavy nucleus under simultaneous production of bound-electron--free-positron pair is studied within the framework of relativistic first--order perturbation theory. This process, denoted as "negative-continuum dielectronic recombination" leads to a formation of not only the ground but also the singly- and doubly-excited states of the residual helium-like ion. The contributions from such an excited--state capture to the total as well as angle-differential cross-sections are studied in detail. Calculations are performed for the recombination of (initially) bare uranium U$^{92+}$ ions and for a wide range of collision energies. From these calculations, we find almost 75 % enhancement of the total recombination probability if the excited ionic states are taken into account.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted to PR

Comparative study of the electron- and positron-atom bremsstrahlung

Fully relativistic treatment of the electron-atom and positron-atom bremsstrahlung is reported. The calculation is based on the partial-wave expansion of the Dirac scattering states in an external atomic field. A comparison of the electron and positron bremsstrahlung is presented for the single and double differential cross sections and the Stokes parameters of the emitted photon. It is demonstrated that the electron-positron symmetry of the bremsstrahlung spectra, which is nearly exact in the nonrelativistic regime, is to a large extent removed by the relativistic effects

Many-electron effects on the x-ray Rayleigh scattering by highly charged He-like ions

The Rayleigh scattering of x-rays by many-electron highly charged ions is studied theoretically. The many-electron perturbation theory, based on a rigorous quantum electrodynamics approach, is developed and implemented for the case of the elastic scattering of (high-energetic) photons by helium-like ion. Using this elaborate approach, we here investigate the many-electron effects beyond the independent-particle approximation (IPA) as conventionally employed for describing the Rayleigh scattering. The total and angle-differential cross sections are evaluated for the x-ray scattering by helium-like Ni$^{26+}$, Xe$^{52+}$, and Au$^{77+}$ ions in their ground state. The obtained results show that, for high-energetic photons, the effects beyond the IPA do not exceed 2% for the scattering by a closed $K$-shell.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figure

Scattering of twisted relativistic electrons by atoms

The Mott scattering of high-energetic twisted electrons by atoms is investigated within the framework of the first Born approximation and Dirac's relativistic equation. Special emphasis is placed on the angular distribution and longitudinal polarization of the scattered electrons. In order to evaluate these angular and polarization properties we consider two experimental setups in which the twisted electron beam collides with either a single well-localized atom or macroscopic atomic target. Detailed relativistic calculations have been performed for both setups and for the electrons with kinetic energy from 10 keV to 1000 keV. The results of these calculations indicate that the emission pattern and polarization of outgoing electrons differ significantly from the scattering of plane-wave electrons and can be very sensitive to the parameters of the incident twisted beam. In particular, it is shown that the angular- and polarization-sensitive Mott measurements may reveal valuable information about, both the transverse and longitudinal components of the linear momentum and the projection of the total angular momentum of twisted electron states. Thus, the Mott scattering emerges as a diagnostic tool for the relativistic vortex beams.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Level sequence and splitting identification of closely-spaced energy levels by angle-resolved analysis of the fluorescence light

The angular distribution and linear polarization of the fluorescence light following the resonant photoexcitation is investigated within the framework of the density matrix and second-order perturbation theory. Emphasis has been placed on "signatures" for determining the level sequence and splitting of intermediate (partially) overlapping resonances, if analyzed as a function of the photon energy of the incident light. Detailed computations within the multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock method have been performed especially for the $1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s\;\, J_{i}=1/2 \,+\, \gamma_{1} \:\rightarrow\: (1s^{2}2s2p^{6}3s)_{1}3p_{3/2}\;\, J=1/2, \, 3/2 \:\rightarrow\: 1s^{2}2s^{2}2p^{6}3s\;\, J_{f}=1/2 \,+\, \gamma_{2}$ photoexcitation and subsequent fluorescence emission of atomic sodium. A remarkably strong dependence of the angular distribution and linear polarization of the $\gamma_{2}$ fluorescence emission is found upon the level sequence and splitting of the intermediate $(1s^{2}2s2p^{6}3s)_{1}3p_{3/2}\;\, J=1/2, \, 3/2$ overlapping resonances owing to their finite lifetime (linewidth). We therefore suggest that accurate measurements of the angular distribution and linear polarization might help identify the sequence and small splittings of closely-spaced energy levels, even if they can not be spectroscopically resolved.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure