56

SCATTERING

where we have introduced the shorthand G(x, x ) for Greens function. We replace the integration variable x1 by x2 and replace x by x1 in Equation (2.26) to obtain (x1 ) = eikx1 + 2m 4 d3 x2 G(x1 , x2 ) V (x2 ) (x2 ) (2.27)

We now substitute the expression in Equation (2.27) for (x1 ) in the integrand on the right-hand side of Equation (2.26) and get (x) = eikx + + 2m 4 2m 4
2

d3 x1 G(x, x1 ) V (x1 ) eikx1

d3 x1 d3 x2 G(x, x1 ) V (x1 ) G(x1 , x2 ) V (x2 ) (x2 ) (2.28)

When repeating this procedure one obtains an innite series called the von Neumann series (x) = eikx + + 2m 4 2m 4 G(x, x1 ) [V (x1 ) d3 x1 ] eikx1

G(x, x1 )[V (x1 ) d3 x1 ]G(x1 , x2 )[V (x2 ) d3 x2 ] eikx2 + (2.29) If one truncates the series after the second term we speak of the Born approximation. There is an elegant graphical way to represent the terms in this series. The method uses three building blocks shown in Figure 2.2. The rst building block shown on top is the graphical element for exp(ik x), a line that ends at the point x. It represents an incident particle propagating to the point x without any scattering. The building block shown next is the graphical element for G(x1 , x2 ), a line segment between the points x2 and x1 . It represents the propagation of a particle from x2 to x1 . The last building block shown is the graphical element for V (x) d3 x, a bubble. It represents a single scatter at x. The factors in the terms of the von Neumann series Equation (2.29) are taken from right to left (as we are used to in Quantum Physics). We show in Figure 2.3 the graphs for the terms in the Neumann series. The rst graph shown on top of Figure 2.3 represents the rst term in Equation (2.29) for the incident particle that propagates without scattering to the point x. The second graph represents the second term in Equation (2.29) where the incident particle is propagated to the point x1 , scattered at x1 by V (x1 ) d3 x1 , and propagated from x1 to x. The net result is that the incident particle is propagated to the space point x with a single scatter in the target along the way. The third graph in Figure 2.3 represents the third term in Equation (2.29) where the incident particle is propagated to the space point x2 , scattered at x2 by V (x2 ) d3 x2 , propagated