Relativistic theory of electron-impact ionization

A relativistic version of an earlier, non-relativistic, formulation of the theory of ionization of an atomic system by electron impact is presented. With a time-independent resolvent operator taken as the basis for the dynamics, a wave equation is derived for a system with open channels consisting of two positive-energy electrons in an external field generated by the residual ion. Virtual intermediate states can be accounted for by the effective Hamiltonian that appears in the wave equation and which in principle may be constructed perturbatively. The asymptotic form of the wavefunction, modified by the effects of the long-range Coulomb interactions of the two electrons in the external field, is derived. These electrons are constrained, by projection operators which appear naturally in the theory, to propagate in positive-energy states only. The long-range Coulomb effects take the form of phase factors similar to those that are found in the non-relativistic version of the theory. With the boundary conditions established, an integral identity for the ionization amplitude is derived, and used to set up a distorted-wave Born expansion for the transition amplitude involving Coulomb-modified propagating waves.