Reaction of Radiation on Electron Scattering and Heitler's Theory of Radiation Damping

Abstract

The reaction of radiation on the scattering of electrons is treated on the basis of Heitler's theory of radiation damping. Because in this theory no account is taken of virtual processes, the infra-red catastrophe reappears, and the theory gives a total cross section for scattering, which depends critically on the longest wave-length radiation that can be emitted, and which does not agree with the correspondence principle. It seems probable that only by a modification of present theories specific to the domain of high energies and small distances will a satisfactory solution of this simple problem be found.