Electron scattering
Deviation of electrons from their original trajectories / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Electron scattering occurs when electrons are displaced from their original trajectory. This is due to the electrostatic forces within matter interaction or,[2][3] if an external magnetic field is present, the electron may be deflected by the Lorentz force.[citation needed][4][5] This scattering typically happens with solids such as metals, semiconductors and insulators;[6] and is a limiting factor in integrated circuits and transistors.[2]
Types of Scattering | |
---|---|
Electron ( e− , β− ) | |
Particle | Electron |
Mass | 9.10938291(40)×10−31 kg[1] 5.4857990946(22)×10−4 u[1] [1822.8884845(14)]−1 u[note 1] 0.510998928(11) MeV/c2[1] |
Electric Charge | −1 e[note 2] −1.602176565(35)×10−19 C[1] −4.80320451(10)×10−10 esu |
Magnetic Moment | −1.00115965218076(27) μB[1] |
Spin | 1⁄2 |
Scattering | |
Forces/Effects | Lorentz force, Electrostatic force, Gravitation, Weak interaction |
Measures | Charge, Current |
Categories | Elastic collision, Inelastic collision, High energy, Low energy |
Interactions | e− — e− e− — γ e− — e+ e− — p e− — n e− — Nuclei |
Types | Compton scattering Møller scattering Mott scattering Bhabha scattering Bremsstrahlung Deep inelastic scattering Synchrotron emission Thomson scattering |
The application of electron scattering is such that it can be used as a high resolution microscope for hadronic systems, that allows the measurement of the distribution of charges for nucleons and nuclear structure.[7][8] The scattering of electrons has allowed us to understand that protons and neutrons are made up of the smaller elementary subatomic particles called quarks.[2]
Electrons may be scattered through a solid in several ways:
- Not at all: no electron scattering occurs at all and the beam passes straight through.
- Single scattering: when an electron is scattered just once.
- Plural scattering: when electron(s) scatter several times.
- Multiple scattering: when electron(s) scatter many times over.
The likelihood of an electron scattering and the degree of the scattering is a probability function of the specimen thickness to the mean free path.[6]