Abstract
We extend the theory of diffraction in time to particles with angular momentum. We consider the problem of the sudden release of a particle which initially was inside a spherical trap. The particle’s free time evolution is described by spherical waves, which have amplitudes diffracted in time. The time-dependent density pattern is, for high or low energies, one of Fresnel or Fraunhofer diffraction by a single slit respectively.
- Received 6 November 2001
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.67.012102
©2003 American Physical Society