Nuclear Size and Magnetic Effects in the Radiative Tail of Electron-Nucleus Scattering

Abstract

The spectrum of scattered electrons due to bremsstrahlung from static nuclear charge and magnetic-moment distributions is calculated in Born approximation. As expected, large reductions from point-nucleus cross sections are obtained for scattering involving large momentum transfers, and magnetic bremsstrahlung is important in the same large-angle region where magnetic elastic scattering is appreciable. Integrations were carried out numerically on an IBM-7090 computer for some representative cases using form factors from elastic electron scattering. The results may be used in interpreting inelastic electron-scattering experiments where one wishes to distinguish the radiative tail of the elastic peak from inelastic nuclear processes.