Interpretation of Interference Structure in Elastic Scattering Using the Semiclassical Action

Abstract

We show how to interpret the Ford-Wheeler semiclassical expression for the scattering amplitude as a integral, over both positive and negative impact parameters, of a quantity depending on the action. This formulation clarifies the relationship between the action and the phase of the semiclassical expression for the scattering amplitude. Using this formulation, we show that interference processes in both one- and two-channel elastic scattering are analogous to those occurring in the two-slit diffraction of light.