Electron Scattering

Electron-Muon Scattering
(Mott Scattering)
Electron-positron scattering
Comparisons with experimental data

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 1

 Example: Electron-Muon Scattering I

e , p 3 , p4

e , p 1 , p2

Only one diagram

ig
M = i [u3 (ige )u1 ] [u4 (ige )u2 ]
(p1 p3 )2
ge2
= [u 3 u1 ] [u4 u2 ]
(p1 p3 )2

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 2

 e Scattering II
ge2
M= 2
[u3 u1 ] [u4 u2 ]
(p1 p3 )
Average |M|2 over initial state spins and sum over final state spins,
D
2
E ge4
|M| = 4
Tr [ (/
p1 + m) (/
p3 + m)]
4(p1 p3 )
Tr [ (/
p2 + M ) (/
p4 + M )]
ge4 ` 2

= 4 p p
1 3 + p p
3 1 + (m p 1 p 3 )g
4(p1 p3 )4
4 p2 p4 + p4 p2 + (M 2 p2 p4 )g
`

4ge4
= {2(p1 p2 )(p3 p4 ) + 2(p1 p4 )(p2 p3 )
(p1 p3 )4
+ 2m2 (p2 p4 ) + 2M 2 (p1 p3 )
4(p1 p3 )(p2 p4 ) + 4(m2 p1 p3 )(M 2 p2 p4 )

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 3

 e Scattering III

Simplify and combine mass terms

D
2
E 8ge4
|M| = {(p1 p2 )(p3 p4 ) + (p1 p4 )(p2 p3 )
(p1 p3 )4
m2 (p2 p4 ) M 2 (p1 p3 ) + 2m2 M 2

This is a very general result that can be applied to electron scattering off of any
charged particle, except for another electron or positron

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 4

 Mandelstem variables
For the reaction 1 + 2 3 + 4, we define

s = (p1 + p2 )2 = (p3 + p4 )2

t = (p1 p3 )2 = (p2 p4 )2
u = (p1 p4 )2 = (p2 p3 )2
s + t + u = m21 + m22 + m23 + m24
In the CM frame and neglecting the masses of the particles, we get

s = 2p1 p2 = 2p3 p4 = 4p2

t = 2p1 p3 = 2p2 p4 = 2p2 (1 cos)

u = 2p1 p4 = 2p2 p3 = 2p2 (1 + cos)
s+t+u=0

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 5

 e Scattering in CM Frame
Ignoring the masses of the particles, the matrix element is

2 8g 2
|M | = ((p1 p2 )(p3 p4 ) + (p1 p4 )(p2 p3 ))
(p1 p3 )2
8g 2 1 2 2
= (s + u )
t2 4
Hence the differential cross section is
d 1 2 pf
= |M |
d 64 2 pi s
2 u 2 + s 2
=
2s t2
2 (1 + cos)2 + 4

=
2s (1 cos)2

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 6

 e Scattering in LAB Frame
e scattering is important when we discuss e-proton scattering
and the evidence for quarks.
The four-momenta are

p1 = (E, p1 )

p2 = (M, 0)
p3 (E, p3 )
p4 (M, 0)

The momentum transfer is

q = (p1 p3 )2

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 7

 e Scattering Amplitude
The spin-averaged amplitude for e scattering is
D
2
E 8ge4
|M| = {(p1 p2 )(p3 p4 ) + (p1 p4 )(p2 p3 )
(p1 p3 )4
2 2 2 2

m (p2 p4 ) M (p1 p3 ) + 2m M

We can drop the terms in red as m is assumed to be zero

After some manipulation

D E 16g 4M 2E E q 2

1 3
|M|2 = e
cos 2
sin 2
q4 2 2M 2 2

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 8

 e Scattering Cross Section
Recall the form for the differential cross section in the lab frame
d 1 2 p3
= |M |
d 64 2 m2 p1 E1 + m2 p1 E3 cos
p3

E32 2
= 2
|M |
64 2 M 2 E1

Inserting the scattering amplitude into the above formula

2 2

d E3 q
= 2
cos2 2
sin2
d 4E1 sin4 2 E1 2 2M 2

If protons were point-like objects then the e-proton scattering cross section would
be identical to this scattering

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 9

 Bhabha Scattering I
An important cross section measured by many experiments

e , p 3 e+ , p 4 e , p 3 e+ , p 4

e , p 1 e+ , p 2 e , p 1 e+ , p 2

The matrix element is

g 2 g 2
M = [u 3 u 1 ] [v 4 v2 ] [u 3 v4 ] [v 2 u1 ]
(p1 p3 )2 (p1 + p2 )2

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 10

 Bhabha Scattering II
The form of the total matrix element is
2
M 2 = M12 + 2Mint + M22

where
8g 4
M12 = [(p1 p2 )(p3 p4 ) + (p1 p4 )(p2 p3 )]
p 1 p 3 )4
In the CM frame
2 + u2
4s
M12 = 2g
t2
Similarly,
2 + t2
4u
M12 = 2g
s2
and
2
2 4 2u
2Mint = 2g
st

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 11

 Bhabha Scattering III
The differential cross section in the CM frame is
2 s 2 + u 2 u 2 + t2 2u2

d
= + +
d 2s t2 s2 st
The first term is the exchange term or t-channel process.
The second term is the annihilation term or s-channel process

In full form " #

d 2 1 + cos4 2 1+ cos2 2 2cos4 2
= +
d 2s sin4 2 2 sin2 2

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 12

 e+ e Accelerators
CESR (Cornell) 8+8 b-quark and physics
TRISTAN (KEK) 30+30 QED tests
SLC (SLAC) 50+50 (polarized) Z 0 physics
LEP (CERN) 50+50 (phase I) Z 0 physics
100+100 (phase II) W W physics
PEPII (BaBar) 8+3 b-quark and physics
Belle 8+3 b-quark and physics

SuperB 8+3 b-quark and physics

ILC ?? Study of Higgs boson and SUSY

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 SLAC

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 SLAC

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 15

 e+ e detectors

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 Experimental results I

Angular distribution from old

experiments

Note that cross section is inde-

pendent on s only.
d
s = F ()
d

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 Experimental results II

Total cross section

1

s

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 Experimental results III

Total cross section

At higher centre-of-
mass energies, the weak
interaction becomes
important.

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 19

 Luminosity measurements
Many experiments measure the luminosity using the e+ e e+ e reaction at
very small angles. Recall that
" #
d 2 1 + cos4 2 1+ cos2 2 2cos4 2
= +
d 2s sin4 2 2 sin2 2

At 0.1 radians (7 degrees), sin 2

0, so
2
and cos
2
" #
d 2 2 2
= + 1
d 2s ( 2 )4 ( 2 )2

the first term dominates the cross section at small angles.

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 20

 Evidence for the weak interaction
We will look at the e+ e f f reaction in the next lecture (f is a fermion).
In the CM frame and ignoring the fermion masses, the cross section is

d 2 u 2 + t 2 2
= 2
= (1 + cos2 )
d 2s s 2s

One defines the forward-backward asymmetry as

R 1 d R 0 d
0 d d 1 d d
AF B = R 1 d
1 d d

For the EM interaction, AF B = 0 using the above cross sections, however this is
not true for the weak interaction.

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 21

 Forward-Backward Asymmetry I

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 Higher-Order Diagrams in QED
The most famous higher-order process in QED is the anomalous magnetic
moment of the electron (or muon), arising from the diagram
e e

(B)

In 1948, Schwinger showed that this modifies the electron g-factor from 2 to
(2 + /). It is currently known to 4 , corresponding to an uncertainty in ge
of about 1012 .

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 BaBar detector

Physics 506A 10 - electron scattering Page 24

 e+ e Cross section near the resonances

The lower resonances are below the threshold for producing B-mesons. BaBar
and Belle experiments take data at CM energies of the (4S)

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 BaBar Events

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