Thermal electron-hydrogen laser assisted three-body scattering dynamics

Abstract

Laser-assisted scattering (LAS) refers to the interaction of particles, such as electrons and atoms, in the presence of an external laser field. This process is vital in fields like radiation-matter interaction, plasma physics, laser cooling, medical lasers, and nanotechnology, as it aids in understanding and controlling atomic-scale phenomena. This study presents a theoretical model for LAS in both thermal and non-thermal environments using a modified thermal Volkov wave function, thermal potential of the hydrogen atom, and Bessel functions within the first-order Born and Kroll-Watson approximations. The model was implemented in MATLAB and analyzed under varying parameters—scattering angle, distance separation, incident energy, temperature, and Bessel function order. Results indicate that for linear polarization, the differential cross-section (DCS) exhibits constructive and destructive interference patterns. Lower-order Bessel functions yield higher DCS values across all cases. DCS is higher at low (<95°) and high (>270°) angles and lower in the intermediate range. For circular and elliptical polarizations, DCS shows destructive interference with angle variation. Higher temperatures and lower Bessel orders consistently lead to higher DCS, with the effect diminishing at larger separations due to interference. The DCS decreases with increasing incident energy. Overall, thermal environments show significantly higher DCS compared to non-thermal cases. Though purely theoretical, this work suggests potential applications in quantum thermal machines, quantum batteries, and temperature-sensitive quantum systems, particularly where temperature fluctuations are minimal. The absence of experimental validation remains a key limitation.