Multiple Scattering of Electrons

A theoretical treatment of multiple Rutherford scattering is given which is exact if one considers electrons with the same total path length in the scatterer. The approximations necessary for the actual solution of the problem for a thin scatterer can be shown to have little effect on the results for small angle scattering. The distribution of scattering is expressed as a series in Legendre polynomials which has been evaluated numerically; the final result for thin scattering is approximately a Gaussian curve. It is shown that this distribution depends in a sensitive way upon the deviation from the Rutherford law for small angle scattering due to screening by electrons. This may perhaps explain the discrepancies between experiments and theory.