Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium
Over the last decade, it has become clear that for heavy ion projectiles, the projectile’s transverse coherence length must be considered in theoretical models. While traditional scattering theory often assumes that the projectile has an infinite coherence length, many studies have demonstrated that...
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Atoms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-2004/11/5/79 |
| _version_ | 1797601130469916672 |
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| author | A. L. Harris |
| author_facet | A. L. Harris |
| author_sort | A. L. Harris |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Over the last decade, it has become clear that for heavy ion projectiles, the projectile’s transverse coherence length must be considered in theoretical models. While traditional scattering theory often assumes that the projectile has an infinite coherence length, many studies have demonstrated that the effect of projectile coherence cannot be ignored, even when the projectile-target interaction is within the perturbative regime. This has led to a surge in studies that examine the effects of the projectile’s coherence length. Heavy-ion collisions are particularly well-suited to this because the projectile’s momentum can be large, leading to a small deBroglie wavelength. In contrast, electron projectiles that have larger deBroglie wavelengths and coherence effects can usually be safely ignored. However, the recent demonstration of sculpted electron wave packets opens the door to studying projectile coherence effects in electron-impact collisions. We report here theoretical triple differential cross-sections (TDCSs) for the electron-impact ionization of helium using Bessel and Laguerre-Gauss projectiles. We show that the projectile’s transverse coherence length affects the shape and magnitude of the TDCSs and that the atomic target’s position within the projectile beam plays a significant role in the probability of ionization. We also demonstrate that projectiles with large coherence lengths result in cross-sections that more closely resemble their fully coherent counterparts. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:57:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ce960f2c5fb6422793b3f1def4622e62 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-2004 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:57:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Atoms |
| spelling | doaj.art-ce960f2c5fb6422793b3f1def4622e622023-11-18T00:26:43ZengMDPI AGAtoms2218-20042023-05-011157910.3390/atoms11050079Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of HeliumA. L. Harris0Physics Department, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USAOver the last decade, it has become clear that for heavy ion projectiles, the projectile’s transverse coherence length must be considered in theoretical models. While traditional scattering theory often assumes that the projectile has an infinite coherence length, many studies have demonstrated that the effect of projectile coherence cannot be ignored, even when the projectile-target interaction is within the perturbative regime. This has led to a surge in studies that examine the effects of the projectile’s coherence length. Heavy-ion collisions are particularly well-suited to this because the projectile’s momentum can be large, leading to a small deBroglie wavelength. In contrast, electron projectiles that have larger deBroglie wavelengths and coherence effects can usually be safely ignored. However, the recent demonstration of sculpted electron wave packets opens the door to studying projectile coherence effects in electron-impact collisions. We report here theoretical triple differential cross-sections (TDCSs) for the electron-impact ionization of helium using Bessel and Laguerre-Gauss projectiles. We show that the projectile’s transverse coherence length affects the shape and magnitude of the TDCSs and that the atomic target’s position within the projectile beam plays a significant role in the probability of ionization. We also demonstrate that projectiles with large coherence lengths result in cross-sections that more closely resemble their fully coherent counterparts.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-2004/11/5/79ionizationcoherencetwisted electronsLaguerre-Gauss beam |
| spellingShingle | A. L. Harris Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium Atoms ionization coherence twisted electrons Laguerre-Gauss beam |
| title | Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium |
| title_full | Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium |
| title_fullStr | Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium |
| title_full_unstemmed | Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium |
| title_short | Projectile Coherence Effects in Twisted Electron Ionization of Helium |
| title_sort | projectile coherence effects in twisted electron ionization of helium |
| topic | ionization coherence twisted electrons Laguerre-Gauss beam |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-2004/11/5/79 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT alharris projectilecoherenceeffectsintwistedelectronionizationofhelium |