Abstract
The process in which a photon splits into three after the collision with a free electron (triple Compton effect) is the most basic process for the generation of a high-energy multiparticle entangled state composed out of elementary quanta. The cross section of the process is evaluated in two experimentally realizable situations, one employing gamma photons and stationary electrons, and the other using keV photons and GeV electrons of an x-ray free electron laser. For the first case, our calculation is in agreement with the only available measurement of the differential cross section for the process under study. Our estimates indicate that the process should be readily measurable also in the second case. We quantify the polarization entanglement in the final state by a recently proposed multiparticle entanglement measure.
Recommended Citation
E. Loetstedt and U. D. Jentschura, "Triple Compton Effect: A Photon Splitting into Three upon Collision with a Free Electron," Physical Review Letters, vol. 108, no. 23, pp. 233201-1 - 233201-5, American Physical Society (APS), Jun 2012.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.233201
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Compton Effect; Cross Section; Differential Cross Section; Final State; Free Electron; Gamma Photons; High Energy; Multiparticle Entangled State; Multiparticle Entanglement; Photon Splitting; Polarization Entanglement; X-ray Free Electron Lasers; Quantum Entanglement
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0031-9007
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2012 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jun 2012
Comments
This article is corrected by Erratum: Triple Compton Effect: A Photon Splitting into Three upon Collision with a Free Electron.