Meaning of inelastic scattering length

[Roman S]

Hello,
what is the physical meaning of the scattering length? I know this question was discussed here before but I still have questions. This quantity is listed in table 1 of this paper: http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/content/132/1/29.full.pdf. I need to clarify a few things:

1. does scattering length has anything to do with mean free path?
2. is it intrinsic or extrinsic quantity? Meaning does it depend on the amount of target material or only on its type and the type of a beam particle and it's kinetic energy?
3. what can scattering length tell about shielding characteristic of a given material from certain radiation?

Any response will be greatly appreciated. Thank you,
Roman

 

[AndyW]

Hello Roman,

The scattering length is a parameter that describes the interaction between particles in a scattering process. It is often used in nuclear and particle physics to describe the scattering of neutrons or other particles off of a target material.

To answer your first question, the scattering length is not directly related to the mean free path. The mean free path is a measure of the average distance a particle travels before interacting with another particle. The scattering length, on the other hand, is a measure of the strength of the interaction between particles in a scattering process. So while they are both related to scattering, they measure different aspects of it.

The scattering length is an intrinsic quantity, meaning it is a characteristic of the target material and the beam particle. It does not depend on the amount of target material, only its type and the type and energy of the beam particle. This is because it is a property of the interaction between the two particles, not the amount of material being scattered.

As for your third question, the scattering length can provide information about the shielding characteristics of a material. A larger scattering length indicates a stronger interaction between the particles, which can result in more scattering and absorption of radiation. So a material with a larger scattering length would be more effective at shielding against certain types of radiation. However, other factors such as density and composition also play a role in shielding effectiveness.

I hope this helps clarify the physical meaning of the scattering length for you. If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thank you for your interest in this topic.