Scattering Theory

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss some of the fundamental aspects of scattering theory in three dimensional problems. It is beyond the scope of this book to present a detailed account of this interesting subject, whose central importance in quantum mechanics cannot be overemphasized. The number of possible applications and approximation methods is so overwhelming, that we have deemed more appropriate to omit many of them and treat in more detail the fundamentals of the theory. Among the topics we will not discuss are the continuation of scattering amplitudes to the complex angular momentum plane, the impulse approximation, the Glauber approximation, analiticity in the multichannel formalism, etc. It should also be mentioned that there is a vast literature on rigorous results which will only be mentioned fragmentarily. The reader interested in learning more about this topic should consult more complete and/or rigorous sources, such as [GW 64], [AR 65], [SI 71], [TA 72], [JO 75], [AJ 77], [RS 79] and [NE 82].