Electron Scattering at a Potential Temporal Step Discontinuity

Fuente: arXiv
Guardado en:
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Ok, Furkan, Bahrami, Amir, Caloz, Christophe
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:
Etiquetas: Agregar Etiqueta
Sin Etiquetas, Sea el primero en etiquetar este registro!
_version_ 1866929268981760000
author Ok, Furkan
Bahrami, Amir
Caloz, Christophe
author_facet Ok, Furkan
Bahrami, Amir
Caloz, Christophe
contents We solve the problem of electron scattering at a potential temporal step discontinuity. We show that the Schrodinger equation cannot account for scattering in this problem, necessitating resort to the Dirac equation, and that breaking gauge symmetry requires a vector potential, a scalar potential inducing only Aharonov-Bohm type energy transitions. We derive the scattering probabilities, of later forward and backward nature, with the later-backward wave being a relativistic effect, and compare the results with those for the spatial step and classical electromagnetic counterparts of the problem. Given the unrealizability of an infinitely sharp temporal discontinuity - which is of the same nature as its spatial counterpart! - we also provide solutions for a smooth potential step and demonstrate that the same physics as for the infinitely sharp case is obtained when the duration of the potential transition is sufficiently smaller than the de Broglie period of the electron (or deeply sub-period).
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2307_08111
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Electron Scattering at a Potential Temporal Step Discontinuity
Ok, Furkan
Bahrami, Amir
Caloz, Christophe
Quantum Physics
Optics
We solve the problem of electron scattering at a potential temporal step discontinuity. We show that the Schrodinger equation cannot account for scattering in this problem, necessitating resort to the Dirac equation, and that breaking gauge symmetry requires a vector potential, a scalar potential inducing only Aharonov-Bohm type energy transitions. We derive the scattering probabilities, of later forward and backward nature, with the later-backward wave being a relativistic effect, and compare the results with those for the spatial step and classical electromagnetic counterparts of the problem. Given the unrealizability of an infinitely sharp temporal discontinuity - which is of the same nature as its spatial counterpart! - we also provide solutions for a smooth potential step and demonstrate that the same physics as for the infinitely sharp case is obtained when the duration of the potential transition is sufficiently smaller than the de Broglie period of the electron (or deeply sub-period).
title Electron Scattering at a Potential Temporal Step Discontinuity
topic Quantum Physics
Optics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2307.08111