Electron scattering

Electron scattering is the process whereby an electron is deflected from its original trajectory. As they are charged particles, they are subject to electromagnetic forces.

Phenomena

Electrons can be scattered by other charged particles through the electrostatic Coulomb forces. Furthermore, if a magnetic field is present, a traveling electron will be deflected by the Lorentz force. An extremely accurate description of all electron scattering, including quantum and relativistic aspects, is given by the theory of quantum electrodynamics.

Types

Common electron scattering processes include:

• Compton scattering, in which an electron absorbs a photon and reemits it, changing the energy and momentum of both;
• Møller scattering, in which two electrons scatter off of one another;
• Bhabha scattering, in which an electron and a positron scatter;
• Bremsstrahlung, in which an electron (most commonly, but also any other particle) passes by a heavy charged object (like a nucleus), changes energy and direction, and emits a photon;
• Deep inelastic scattering, in which a high-energy electron interacts with a nucleus and breaks it up;
• Synchrotron emission, in which an electron interacts with an external magnetic field, changes direction, and emits a photon.