Abstract
Usually, photons are described by plane waves with a definite 4-momentum. In addition to plane-wave photons, "twisted photons" have recently entered the field of modern laser optics; these are coherent superpositions of plane waves with a defined projection ℏm of the orbital angular momentum onto the propagation axis, where m is an integer. In this Letter, we show that it is possible to produce high-energy twisted photons by Compton backscattering of twisted laser photons off ultrarelativistic electrons. Such photons may be of interest for experiments related to the excitation and disintegration of atoms and nuclei, and for studying the photoeffect and pair production off nuclei in previously unexplored experimental regimes.
Recommended Citation
U. D. Jentschura and V. G. Serbo, "Generation of High-Energy Photons with Large Orbital Angular Momentum by Compton Backscattering," Physical Review Letters, vol. 106, no. 1, pp. 013001-1 - 013001-4, American Physical Society (APS), Jan 2011.
The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.106.013001
Department(s)
Physics
Keywords and Phrases
Coherent Superpositions; Compton Backscattering; High Energy; High Energy Photons; Laser Photons; Orbital Angular Momentum; Pair Production; Photoeffect; Plane Wave; Propagation Axis; Angular Momentum; Backscattering; Elastic Waves; High Energy Physics; Light
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
0031-9007
Document Type
Article - Journal
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2011 American Physical Society (APS), All rights reserved.
Publication Date
01 Jan 2011
