Electron Spectra for Twisted Electron Collisions

TL;DR

This paper investigates how twisted electron wave packets affect ionization mechanisms in atomic hydrogen, revealing that while similar to plane waves, vortex projectiles obscure certain features due to momentum uncertainty and enhance high-energy electron ejection.

Contribution

It provides the first theoretical double differential cross sections for (e,2e) ionization using vortex electron projectiles, extending understanding of ionization processes for sculpted wave packets.

Findings

Ionization mechanisms are similar for vortex and non-vortex electrons.

Features distinguishing ionization mechanisms are obscured by momentum uncertainty.

Vortex projectiles increase cross sections for high-energy ejected electrons.

Abstract

Ionization collisions have important consequences in many physical phenomena, and the mechanism that leads to ionization is not universal. Double differential cross sections (DDCSs) are often used to identify ionization mechanisms because they exhibit features that distinguish close collisions from grazing collisions. In the angular DDCS, a sharp peak indicates ionization through a close binary collision, while a broad angular distribution points to a grazing collision. In the DDCS energy spectrum, electrons ejected through a binary encounter collision result in peak at an energy predicted from momentum conservation. These insights into ionization processes are well-established for plane wave projectiles. However, the recent development of sculpted particle wave packets reopens the question of how ionization occurs for these new particle wave forms. We present theoretical DDCSs for (e,2e) ionization of atomic hydrogen for electron vortex projectiles. Our results predict that the ionization mechanism for vortex projectiles is similar to that of non-vortex projectiles, but that features in the DDCS that distinguish ionization mechanisms are obscured by the projectile's momentum uncertainty. Additionally, the projectile's non-zero transverse momentum increases the cross section for high energy ejected electrons.