Quantum scattering beyond the plane-wave approximation

TL;DR

This paper explores how non-plane-wave quantum states like vortex particles, Airy beams, and Schrödinger cat states affect scattering processes, revealing effects beyond traditional plane-wave approximations with implications across physics fields.

Contribution

It introduces the analysis of non-plane-wave effects in scattering due to novel quantum numbers of complex wave packets, highlighting their significance in experiments and theory.

Findings

Non-plane-wave effects can surpass radiative corrections in electron scattering.

Quantum interference effects in superposed beams can be probed via atom collisions.

New perspectives in quantum optics and particle physics emerge from these effects.

Abstract

While a plane-wave approximation in high-energy physics works well in a majority of practical cases, it becomes inapplicable for scattering of the vortex particles carrying orbital angular momentum, of Airy beams, of the so-called Schr\"odinger cat states, and their generalizations. Such quantum states of photons, electrons and neutrons have been generated experimentally in recent years, opening up new perspectives in quantum optics, electron microscopy, particle physics, and so forth. Here we discuss the non-plane-wave effects in scattering brought about by the novel quantum numbers of these wave packets. For the well-focused electrons of intermediate energies, already available at electron microscopes, the corresponding contribution can surpass that of the radiative corrections. Moreover, collisions of the cat-like superpositions of such focused beams with atoms allow one to probe effects of the quantum interference, which have never played any role in particle scattering.