Electron-atom ionization near the Bethe ridge: revision of plane wave first-order theories

Abstract

We consider electron impact single ionization of an atom at large energy-momentum transfer in the nearly Bethe-ridge kinematics. For evaluation of the ionization amplitude, a plane wave Born series is employed. A regularization procedure is utilized in circumventing typical divergence problems associated with the higher-order Born terms. The regularized Born series for the ionization amplitude is derived. On this basis, renormalized analogs of the traditional plane wave Born and impulse approximations are developed. These renormalized first-order models resemble the traditional plane wave impulse approximation with a modified Gamow factor. Numerical results using different approximations are presented and analyzed for the case of electron-hydrogen ionization. The present theoretical consideration can be important for absolute measurements.