Electrons diffraction scattering on a traveling wave - "Inelastic Kapitza-Dirac effect"

TL;DR

This paper reviews the inelastic and elastic electron diffraction effects on various electromagnetic wave structures, clarifying recent confusion and analyzing key processes like Cherenkov, Compton, and undulator interactions over four decades.

Contribution

It provides a unified analysis of electron diffraction phenomena on different wave structures and clarifies recent misconceptions in the scientific literature.

Findings

Analysis of elastic and inelastic diffraction effects

Comparison of different wave-induced electron processes

Clarification of recent conflicting reports

Abstract

In this paper conceptual points regarding electrons elastic (Kapitza-Dirac effect) and inelastic diffraction effect on the different type slowed electromagnetic wave structures/light gratings are considered. From the unified point of view it is analyzed the main works on this subject for last four decades in chronological order, pointing out the essential peculiarity inherent in induced Cherenkov, Compton, and undulator/wiggler processes too. This review article has also a goal to resolve confusion in scientific literature connected with the recently appeared paper [6] relating the electrons diffraction on a traveling wave in a dielectric medium.