Classical planar scattering by Coulombic potentials

DOI10.1007/978-3-540-47336-7MaRDI QIDQ4024042zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors M. Klein, Andreas Knauf

Publication date 23 January 1993

Published in Lecture Notes in Physics Monographs (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-47336-7

zbMATH Keywords

cone field techniquedifferential geometryfractional dimensiongeodesicsMøller transformationsPalais-Smale theoryregularization procedureRiemannian manifoldsymbolic dynamicstopological entropytopology

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Stability theory for smooth dynamical systems (37C75) Local and nonlocal bifurcation theory for dynamical systems (37G99) Dynamical aspects of finite-dimensional Hamiltonian and Lagrangian systems (37J99) Research exposition (monographs, survey articles) pertaining to mechanics of particles and systems (70-02) (n)-body problems (70F10)

Review text

The book presents a qualitative analysis of the planar scattering of a test particle in the attracting fields of \(n\) bodies. The dynamics is generated by the Hamiltonian function \(H( \vec q, \vec p)={1 \over 2} \vec p^ 2+V( \vec q)\) where the potential \(V\) decomposes into the sum of a Coulombic potential and a short range potential. The motivation for \(V\) comes from scattering by an \(n\)-atomic molecule. Using methods from differential geometry and topology, the authors prove that for large energies the qualitative traits of the scattering process do not depend on the precise form of the Coulombic potential, but only on the number \(n\) of the centres. The exposition starts with the definition of the Møller transformations as the central object of the classical scattering theory. A special regularization procedure allows to reduce the original problem in scattering theory to the analysis of geodesics on a smooth Riemannian manifold \(M\), that is a surface with \([(n-1)/2]\) handles. The Palais-Smale approach is used in the description of the positive energy periodic orbits. For large energies, trajectories become unstable. The cone field technique of Wojtkowski turns out to be useful in the description of orbital instability. One of the chapters establishes a kind of a symbolic dynamics for the bounded geodesics on \(M\), the symbols numbering the Poincaré sections. This allows to observe the action of the braid group on the bounded orbits. Bounds for the topological entropy of the flow are given. It is shown that the topological entropy goes like square root of the energy if there are three or more nuclei. For \(n\) equal one or two the topological entropy vanishes. Some other topics are considered, such as: estimates of the fractional dimension of the set of bounded orbits for large energy, time delay as a function of scattering initial conditions, Liouville measure of the set of positive energy bound states, differential cross sections measurements. The authors stress that an investigation of the three- dimensional scattering problem, unlike the discussed in this book planar one, is a difficult task. It should not be based on a topological approach. The concluding section of the book presents some other open problems.

Recommendations

• The \(n\)-centre problem of celestial mechanics for large energies
• Qualitative aspects of classical potential scattering
• Regularity of the scattering trajectories in classical mechanics
• On the classical and quantum Coulomb scattering
• Classical scattering at low energies

Cited in

(25)

• The \(n\)-centre problem of celestial mechanics for large energies
• Parabolic solutions for the planar \(N\)-centre problem: multiplicity and scattering
• Degenerate billiards in celestial mechanics
• On the integrability of the \(n\)-centre problem
• The spatial N-centre problem: scattering at positive energies
• Chaotic behavior in the 3-center problem.
• A hyperbolic scenario to chaotic scattering: Horseshoe truncation by potential deformation
• Knauf's degree and monodromy in planar potential scattering
• Classical motion in two-dimensional crystals
• Entire parabolic trajectories as minimal phase transitions
• Resonances in the two-center Coulomb systems
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 7228900 (Why is no real title available?)
• Coulomb scattering between Maxwellian plasma and monoenergetic beam
• Symbolic dynamics: from the N-centre to the (N+1)-body problem, a preliminary study
• The escape rate of a molecule
• Avoiding collisions under topological constraints in variational problems coming from celestial mechanics
• Syzygy sequences of the \(N\)-center problem
• Plane Wave and Coulomb Asymptotics
• Topologically distinct collision-free periodic solutions for the \({N}\)-center problem
• Degenerate billiards
• Classical motion in random potentials
• The problem of two fixed centers: bifurcation diagram for positive energies
• Qualitative aspects of classical potential scattering
• Chaotic light scattering around extremal black holes
• Caustics of classical particle scattering

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