A distorted-wave approach to the elastic scattering of twisted electrons

Abstract: The elastic scattering of spinless vortex electrons on realistic target atoms has been investigated. In particular, expressions are derived in different approximations for the elastic angular-differential cross sections. We develop a distorted wave formalism that includes the effect of the atomic potential on the impinging vortex electron and compare this to a plane-wave Born approximation without such a distortion. Detailed computations have been performed for elastic scattering of vortex electrons on helium, neon, and argon targets by varying the energy, topological charge, and opening angle. Our results show that the overall magnitude of the cross section increases when the distortion by the bound-state electrons is taken into account. We also show that under certain conditions, such as high-Z targets or projectiles with low values of topological charge, significant differences in cross section shape and magnitude are observed between the distorted-wave and plane-wave Born models. Thus, the plane-wave Born approximation must be used with caution when describing vortex electron collisions.