0000000000889810
AUTHOR
Oleksiy Kovtun
Spin-orbit interaction in bremsstrahlung and its effect on the electron motion in a strong Coulomb field
Linear polarization of bremsstrahlung x rays produced in collisions of longitudinally polarized 2.1-MeV electrons with gold atoms was studied using the Compton scattering technique. We observed that the angle of x-ray polarization is strongly correlated with the incoming electron polarization. This correlation reveals the dominance of the spin-orbit interaction in bremsstrahlung and indicates a striking effect of the electron spin on the electron motion in a strong Coulomb field. The results confirm the validity of the theoretical predictions in a computationally challenging energy regime.
Strong effect of the electron spin on bremsstrahlung observed in the relativistic regime
We have studied bremsstrahlung produced by polarized 2.1 MeV electrons colliding with a thin gold target. We have observed a strong correlation between the orientation of the electron spin and the angle of x-ray linear polarization at the x-ray high energy tip region. This indicates a dominance of the spin-orbit interaction in bremsstrahlung.