Twisted particle collisions: a new tool for spin physics

Abstract

Collisions of twisted particles --- that is, non-plane-wave states of photons, electrons, or any other particle, equipped with a non-zero orbital angular momentum (OAM) with respect to its propagation direction --- offer novel ways to probe particle structure and interactions. In the recent paper \cite{Ivanov:2019vxe}, we argued that resonance production in twisted photon collisions or twisted $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ annihilation gives access to parity- and spin-sensitive observables in inclusive cross sections, even when the initial particles are unpolarized. Here, we explore these features in detail, providing a qualitative picture and illustrating it with numerical examples. We show how one can detect parity-violating effects in collisions of unpolarized twisted photons and how one can produce almost $100\%$ polarized vector mesons in unpolarized twisted $e^{+}{e}^{-}$ annihilation. These examples highlight the unprecedented level of control over polarization offered by twisted particles, impossible in the usual plane wave collisions.

arXiv comment26 pages, 9 figures

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Cited by in corpus (11)

• Doing spin physics with unpolarized particles
• Generation of vortex particles via generalized measurements
• Quantum mechanical formulation of the Busch theorem
• Threshold effects in high-energy vortex state collisions
• Scattering of a twisted electron wavepacket by a finite laser pulse
• Dynamics of relativistic vortex electrons in external laser fields
• Transfer of spin to orbital angular momentum in the Bethe-Heitler process
• Universal Analytic Solution for the Quantum Transport of Structured Matter-Waves in Magnetic Optics
• Angular momentum dynamics of vortex particles in accelerators
• Geometry-Enabled Radiation from Structured Paraxial Electrons
• Vortex particles in axially symmetric fields and applications of the quantum Busch theorem