Past exam of the optics and electrodynamics course of the University of Cambridge / 2019 / Section B / B5

Treat a single weakly driven Electron or an independent bound charge, so that the incident electric field is approximately uniform across its displacement. The classical calculation uses electric dipole radiation and excludes both a resonant divergence and substantial quantum recoil.

In Rayleigh scattering, a small bound system develops an induced electric dipole moment $\mathbf{p}(t)=\mathrm{Re}[\alpha (\omega ){\mathbf{E}}_0{e}^{-i\omega t}]$. Well below its binding resonances, the electric polarizability is approximately its static value $\alpha (0)$, independent of frequency. The mean radiated power and incident light intensity areDividing gives the total scattering cross sectionThis Rayleigh scattering wavelength dependence comes from the two time derivatives of an oscillating electric dipole moment, whose radiated field is proportional to ${\omega }^2{p}_0$. It requires the same scatterer with approximately constant low-frequency electric polarizability; resonances and strong optical dispersion invalidate the simple fourth-power law.

Thomson scattering describes the low-recoil scattering of electromagnetic radiation by a free charge. For charge $q$ and mass $m$, the weak incident field gives peak acceleration $|q|E_0/m$. The mean Larmor formula power is thereforeThere is no binding force to introduce a characteristic frequency. Dividing by the same incident light intensity gives the Thomson cross-section:For an Electron, the length inside parentheses is the classical electron radius. The cross section has units ${\mathrm{m}}^2$ and is independent of wavelength in this classical limit. The driven velocity must remain small compared with $c$, and $\hslash \omega \ll m{c}^2$ must make Compton recoil kinematics negligible.

Put ${\omega }_0^2=k/m$, where $k$ is the binding spring constant rather than an optical wavenumber. The steady complex amplitude solution of the forced Lorentz oscillator model isThe acceleration complex amplitude is $-{\omega }^2{\mathbf{x}}_0$. HenceThis is the scattering cross-section of a harmonically bound charge. The displacement and induced electric dipole moment are parallel to the incident linear polarization, and integrating their dipole radiation over all directions gives the total cross section above.

For $\omega \ll {\omega }_0$, binding dominates andrecovering Rayleigh scattering with static electric polarizability $q^2/k$. For $\omega \gg {\omega }_0$, inertia dominates: ${\mathbf{x}}_0\simeq -q{\mathbf{E}}_0/(m{\omega }^2)$, so its second time derivative becomes frequency independent andThis is a classical Thomson scattering regime only while $\hslash \omega \ll m{c}^2$. Exactly at $\omega ={\omega }_0$, an undamped driven oscillator has no finite steady-state amplitude; the divergent formula must not be used. Finite damping and radiation reaction regulate the physical resonant response. Coherent contributions from many charges in an extended medium can also require a structure calculation rather than multiplying this single-charge result by a particle count.

A distinct classical Thomson scattering window requires two separated scales:To remove that window, the binding frequency must be comparable with or greater than the Compton scattering recoil scale. Thus the formal condition for bound-electron scattering without a Thomson frequency window isUsing the stipulated approximate electron mass $m=10^{-30}\mathrm{kg}$, $c=2.998\times 10^8\mathrm{m}{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$ and $\hslash =1.055\times 10^{-34}\mathrm{J}\mathrm{s}$ givesThe dimensions are $[m^3{c}^4/{\hslash }^2]=\mathrm{kg}{\mathrm{s}}^{-2}=\mathrm{N}{\mathrm{m}}^{-1}$. The inequality denotes a scale comparison, not a uniquely specified spring constant or a sharp transition.

There is also a physical limitation to the question's premise. Compton scattering does not begin discontinuously at $\hslash \omega =m{c}^2$; recoil corrections grow as photon energy approaches the rest energy. If $\hslash {\omega }_0\gtrsim m{c}^2$, the assumed nonrelativistic binding model is itself no longer reliable. The calculation therefore locates where no well-separated classical Thomson scattering range exists; it cannot establish a literal direct transition of a real strongly bound system using this oscillator equation alone.