Paper 2, Section II, B

Applications of Quantum Mechanics
Part II, 2010

A beam of particles of mass mm and momentum p=kp=\hbar k is incident along the zz-axis. Write down the asymptotic form of the wave function which describes scattering under the influence of a spherically symmetric potential V(r)V(r) and which defines the scattering amplitude f(θ)f(\theta).

Given that, for large rr,

eikrcosθ12ikrl=0(2l+1)(eikr(1)leikr)Pl(cosθ),e^{i k r \cos \theta} \sim \frac{1}{2 i k r} \sum_{l=0}^{\infty}(2 l+1)\left(e^{i k r}-(-1)^{l} e^{-i k r}\right) P_{l}(\cos \theta),

show how to derive the partial-wave expansion of the scattering amplitude in the form

f(θ)=1kl=0(2l+1)eiδlsinδlPl(cosθ)f(\theta)=\frac{1}{k} \sum_{l=0}^{\infty}(2 l+1) e^{i \delta_{l}} \sin \delta_{l} P_{l}(\cos \theta)

Obtain an expression for the total cross-section, σ\sigma.

Let V(r)V(r) have the form

V(r)={V0,r<a0,r>aV(r)=\left\{\begin{array}{cl} -V_{0}, & r<a \\ 0, & r>a \end{array}\right.

where V0=22mγ2V_{0}=\frac{\hbar^{2}}{2 m} \gamma^{2}

Show that the l=0l=0 phase-shift δ0\delta_{0} satisfies

tan(ka+δ0)ka=tanκaκa,\frac{\tan \left(k a+\delta_{0}\right)}{k a}=\frac{\tan \kappa a}{\kappa a},

where κ2=k2+γ2\kappa^{2}=k^{2}+\gamma^{2}.

Assume γ\gamma to be large compared with kk so that κ\kappa may be approximated by γ\gamma. Show, using graphical methods or otherwise, that there are values for kk for which δ0(k)=nπ\delta_{0}(k)=n \pi for some integer nn, which should not be calculated. Show that the smallest value, k0k_{0}, of kk for which this condition holds certainly satisfies k0<3π/2ak_{0}<3 \pi / 2 a.