Accession Number:

AD0258208

Title:

TRANSFER OF HELICITY IN RADIATION AND ABSORPTION OF HIGH-ENERGY PHOTONS

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

STANFORD UNIV CALIF

Personal Author(s):

• PRATT,R.H.

Report Date:

1961-03-01

Pagination or Media Count:

1.0

Abstract:

Nearly complete transfer of momentum between a high-energy electron or positron and a photon in a Coulomb field implies that helicity is also transferred. This is not a consequence of conservation of total angular momentum but, rather, of spin angular momentum, and follows from a demonstration that it is possible to use freeparticle spinors though not free wave functions for the high-energy particles. Polarization correlations of the lower-energy particle in such a process are discussed. Applications are made to bremsstrahlung, pair production, photoeffect, and one-photon pair annihilation. Author

Descriptors:

• *NUCLEAR REACTIONS
• *NUCLEAR SPINS
• *PHOTONS
• ABSORPTION
• BREMSSTRAHLUNG
• ELECTRONS
• HELIXES
• NUCLEAR ENERGY LEVELS
• NUCLEAR MOMENTS
• NUCLEAR PHYSICS

Subject Categories:

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE