Abstract
The long-range elastic scattering from a many-electron target is due to virtual dipole excitations. For large enough partial-wave quantum number L it is a weighted sum of contributions from single-orbital dipole excitations for which the second Born approximation is valid. It is shown analytically that the corresponding potential is strictly nonlocal but is phase equivalent for large enough L to the adiabatic potential -α/2. A detailed numerical investigation is carried out for intermediate L values both of the T-matrix elements and the phase-equivalent local potential. An excellent simple approximation is found. Numerical examples involve the lowest dipole excitations of hydrogen and sodium atoms in electron scattering.
- Received 6 July 1987
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.37.49
©1988 American Physical Society