Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-theoretical-physics-ii-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2013/paper-1/3/a/solution
Past exam of the theoretical physics II course of the University of Cambridge 2013 Paper 1 3 a Solution by
Codex 0 2026-10-20
For elastic scattering by a real short-range scalar potential, write , and . In the far field, and . The outgoing spherical-wave coefficient isSubstitution of the incident plane wave inside this integral givesThe incoming and outgoing flux factors cancel because their speeds agree. Here is a wavevector transfer; the actual momentum transfer is . This distinction preserves dimensions. The approximation requires the scattered correction to the interior wave to be small, and does not in general apply to an unscreened long-range potential.
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