Theoretical consideration of a twisted atom

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical framework for twisted atomic states and predicts that such states can alter photon emission properties, potentially allowing experimental detection of atomic twist effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel theoretical model for twisted atomic states and analyzes their impact on photon emission and nuclear recoil effects.

Findings

Photon distribution is altered in twisted atoms.

Twisted atomic states can influence nuclear recoil effects.

Photon emission features can reveal atomic twist in specific observation schemes.

Abstract

We investigate the twisted state of an atom and the possible effect of such a state on the properties of the photons emitted as a result of an electron transition in that atom. We first propose a framework for describing the twisted atomic state, and then explore possible differences in the nuclear recoil effects in the twisted atom compared to those in the plane-wave atom. We conclude that if the initial atomic state is twisted, then the photon distribution is altered. We point out that in a certain observation scheme, one can detect a feature of this twist in the distribution of the emitted photons, even in zero order in $m/M$.