Electron-hydrogen scattering in a chaotic laser field

Abstract

Elastic scattering of electrons from hydrogen atoms in a chaotic laser field is considered. The necessary ensemble averages are evaluated assuming a field correlation function with an associated Lorentz spectrum. For nonzero bandwidths, the double differential cross sections exhibit peaks around the incident energy as well as around the atomic transition energies, all sidebands having a spacing of the mean laser energy. For zero bandwidth, the (single) differential cross sections reduce to those due to a coherent field, averaged over a Gaussian probability distribution. Some representative numerical results are presented and discussed.