An implementation of atomic form factors. C. Santamarina Rios, J.J. Saborido Silva.

PROGRAM SUMMARY
Title of program: DIFOFA
Catalogue identifier: ADQY
Ref. in CPC: 151(2003)79
Distribution format: tar gzip file
Operating system: Solaris 2.6, Linux (RedHat, Debian)
High speed store required: 120K words
Number of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc: 631
Keywords: Atomic form factors, Atomic physics, Scattering, Cross sections, Photon, Wave function.
Programming language used: Fortran
Computer: SUN workstation .

Nature of physical problem:
The scattering of an electron or a proton by a hydrogen-like atom or the collision of a hydrogen-like atom with a more complex atom are three body systems which can be solved perturbatively. The first order solution corresponds to a one photon exchange interaction and is known as the first Born approximation [1-3]. The sensibility of the hydrogen-like atom to a definite momentum of the exchanged photon is given by the Fourier transform of its charge density, known as the atomic form factory. The hydrogen-like form factors have been studied in the framework of Hydrogen-electron collisions and the recent experiments on exotic atoms [4,5] have updated the interest on this topic requiring the knowledge of the form factors of highly excited states.

Method of solution:
We have considered an analytical expression of the hydrogen-like atomic form factors [6] and we have implemented it in a FORTRAN code optimizing the addition method and testing the final result.

Restrictions:
For a non-relativistic collision the Born approximation is safely valid if the kinetic energy of the projectile in the laboratory frame obeys [3]: P**2 -- >> -E, 2M where E is the bound energy of the hydrogen-like atom initial state. For the case of relativistic collisions it has been shown that multi-photon exchange can lead to significant corrections in the hydrogen-like atom collision [7]. However, the relativistic calculation also involves the atomic form factors - the useful expressions for the multi-photon exchange cross sections as a function of the atomic form factors can be found in [7] - and for many small and medium Z atoms in n <= 10 bound states the discrepancies are less than 10 per cent.

References:

 [1] K. Omidvar, Ionization of Excited Atomic Hydrogen by Electron       
     Collision, K. Omidvar, Phys. Rev., 140 (1965) A26.                  
 [2] K. Omidvar, Excitation by Electron Collision of Excited Atomic      
     Hydrogen, K. Omidvar, Phys. Rev., 140 (1965) A36.                   
 [3] S. Mrowczynski, Interaction of Elementary Atoms with Matter, Phys.  
     Rev., A33 (1986) 1549.                                              
 [4] B. Adeva et al., CERN/SPSLC 95-1 SPSLC/P 284 (1994).                
 [5] B. Adeva et al., CERN/SPSC 2000-032 SPSC/P284 Add.2 (2000)          
 [6] L.G. Afanasyev and A.V. Tarasov, Breakup of Relativistic pi+pi-     
     Atoms in Matter, Yad. Fiz., 59 (1996) 2212; Phys. At. Nuc.,         
     59 (1996) 2130.                                                     
 [7] L.G. Afanasyev, A.V. Tarasov and O.O. Voskresenskaya, Total         
     interaction cross sections of relativistic pi+pi- -atoms with       
     ordinary atoms in the eikonal approach, J. Phys. G 25 (1999) B7.