B. Leuer et al., MEASUREMENT OF EXCHANGE AND SPIN-ORBIT EFFECTS AND THEIR INTERFERENCEIN ELASTIC E-CS SCATTERING AT 7-EV, Zeitschrift fur Physik. D, Atoms, molecules and clusters, 33(1), 1995, pp. 39-42
Twenty years ago a theoretical analysis showed that electron scatterin
g by high-Z one-electron atoms might lead to interference of exchange
and spin-orbit interactions at low electron energies, observable as a
cross-section asymmetry if unpolarized electrons are scattered by pola
rized cesium atoms. By using a highly polarized cesium atomic beam, we
studied exchange and spin-orbit effects at different electron energie
s, starting at 20 eV and going down. We observed the first distinctly
non-zero interference asymmetry at 7 eV: Over the angular range of 35
to 145 degrees, it varies between +0.02 and -0.02 and goes through zer
o near 110 degrees being negative at larger angles.