Abstract
The semiclassical description of deflections of swift, charged particles by atoms in solids is discussed, with reference to Bohr's wave-packet analysis of Coulomb scattering. Inner-shell ionisation is considered as an example, and it is argued that the validity of the semiclassical impact-parameter description is not limited by the Bohr condition but only by the requirement that the angular momentum be large in units of ħ. The deflection of channeled particles by strings of atoms in a crystal provides a method for impact-parameter selection in the limit of high velocities, where the classical relation between scattering angle and impact parameter in a single collision breaks down. However, for projectiles with small mass such as electrons and positrons, the angular momentum in collisions of channeled particles with strings is comparable to 1/2, and quantisation is important. For electrons spiralling around a string, this is reflected in a line spectrum of radiation associated with jumps between orbits, which are analogous to the stationary states of a two-dimensional hydrogen atom.
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