Colliding particles carrying non-zero orbital angular momentum

TL;DR

This paper explores the unique scattering features of high-energy particles with orbital angular momentum, revealing new analytical tools and potential experimental applications in high-energy physics.

Contribution

It introduces the analysis of scattering processes involving twisted particles, enabling Fourier analysis of cross sections and probing autocorrelation functions of amplitudes.

Findings

Twisted particles allow Fourier analysis of scattering cross sections.

They enable probing of autocorrelation functions of scattering amplitudes.

Potential for experimental investigation of twisted particle interactions.

Abstract

Photons carrying non-zero orbital angular momentum (twisted photons) are well-known in optics. Recently, it was suggested to use Compton backscattering to boost optical twisted photons to high energies. Twisted electrons in the intermediate energy range have also been produced recently. Thus, collisions involving energetic twisted particles seem to be feasible and represent a new tool in high-energy physics. Here we discuss some generic features of scattering processes involving twisted particles in the initial and/or final state. In order to avoid additional complications arising from non-trivial polarization states, we focus here on scalar fields only. We show that processes involving twisted particles allow one to perform a Fourier analysis of the plane wave cross section with respect to the azimuthal angles of the initial particles. In addition, using twisted states one can probe the autocorrelation function of the amplitude, which is inaccessible in the plane wave collisions. Finally, we discuss prospects for experimental study of these effects.