Gouy Phase for Relativistic Quantum Particles

Abstract

Recently Gouy rotation was observed with focused non-relativistic electron vortex beams. If the electrons in vortex beams are very fast we have to take into account relativistic effects to completely describe the Gouy phase on them. Exact Hermite-Gaussian solutions to the Klein-Gordon equation for particle beams are obtained here that make explicit the 4-position of the focal point of the beam. These are Bateman-Hillion solutions with modified phase factors to take into account the rest mass of the particles. They enable a relativistic expression for the Gouy phase to be determined. It is in fact shown all the solutions are form invariant under Lorentz transformations. It is further shown for the exact solutions to correspond to those of the Schr\"odinger equation the relative time between the focal point and any point in the beam must be constrained to be a specific function of the relative spatial coordinates.