Polarization transfer in hard x-ray Rayleigh scattering for non-coplanar geometry
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: We present an experimental study of the Rayleigh scattering of highly linearly polarized hard x rays. For this study, photons produced by a synchrotron source with an energy of 175 k e V are scattered by a thin gold foil target. While the linear polarization in terms of degree of polarization and its orientation of the incident photon beam are well known, the outgoing scattered photons are analyzed by means of Compton polarimetry. For this, a polarimeter detector is positioned at different observation angles with respect to the incident photon beam. For the first time the polarization of elastically scattered photons outside of the polarization plane of the incident radiation is investigated, enabling novel access to a so-far untested component of the polarization transfer. The experimental findings are compared to predictions of two theoretical models. It is found that, when leaving the polarization plane of the incident photon beam, a strong deviation from the form factor approximation is evident, while calculations of the Rayleigh scattering in the S -matrix approach agree with the experimental results. Furthermore, this study is a foundation for future experiments dedicated to a polarization-resolved analysis of Delbrück scattering.
Source: Physical Review A
DOI: 10.1103/sfnd-hv3k
Authors: Wilko Middents, Alexandre Gumberidze, Thomas Krings, Anton Kononov, Philip Pfäfflein, Norbert Schell, Uwe Spillmann, Sophia Strnat, Andrey Surzhykov, Marco Vockert, Andrey Volotka, Günter Weber, Vladimir A Yerokhin, Thomas Stöhlker
Institutions: Helmholtz Institute Jena, GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Federal Institute For Materials Research and Testing, Technische Universität Braunschweig
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,675
OpenAlex ID: W4417440772