Scattering Length

The scattering length in quantum mechanics describes low-energy scattering. It is defined as the following low-energy limit,


\lim_{k\to 0} k\cot\delta(k) =- \frac{1}{a}\;,

where is the scattering length, is the wave number, and is the s-wave phase shift. The elastic cross section, at low energies is determined solely by the scattering length,


\lim_{k\to 0} \sigma_e = 4\pi a^2\;.

Read more about Scattering Length:  General Concept, Example

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