Inelastic processes in high energy quantum electrodynamics

Abstract

Inelastic processes in high energy QED are systematically discussed. Progress in electron—positron colliding beam physics has raised considerable interest for these processes. A classification of QED processes suited for high energies is presented. The main characteristics of 3rd and 4th order processes which are relevant for colliding beams, i.e. single and double bremsstrahlung, as well as particle electroproduction, especially pair electroproduction, are given. The corresponding angular and spectral distributions of the final particles, and the integral cross sections are presented and analysed in detail. Some of the higher-order processes as well as some reactions with cross sections decreasing with energy are also discussed. Moreover, radiative effects in narrow resonances production in colliding beam experiments are analysed and methods for the determination of the parameters of these resonances are discussed. Appendices deal with radiative corrections to cross sections to lower-order in perturbation theory, with approximate methods for the calculation of cross sections for inelastic processes, with substitution rules which relate cross sections for different processes and also with sum rules which connect cross sections of inelastic processes to the electron form factor.