Scattering of twisted electron wave packets by atoms in the Born approximation

The potential scattering of electrons carrying nonzero quanta of the orbital angular momentum (OAM) is studied in a framework of the generalized Born approximation, developed in our recent paper [D. V. Karlovets, G. L. Kotkin, and V. G. Serbo, Phys. Rev. A 92, 052703 (2015)]. We treat these so-called twisted electrons as spatially localized wave packets. The simple and convenient expressions are derived for a number of scattering events in collision of such a vortex electronwith a single potential, located at a given impact parameter with respect to the wave packet's axis. The more realistic scenarios are also considered with either localized (mesoscopic) targets or infinitely wide (macroscopic) ones that consist of randomly distributed atoms. Dependence of the electron-scattering pattern on the size and on the relative position of the target is studied in detail for all three scenarios of the single-potential, mesoscopic, and macroscopic targets made of hydrogen in the ground 1s state. The results demonstrate that the angular distribution of the outgoing electrons can be very sensitive to the OAM and to kinematic parameters of the focused twisted beams, as well as to composition of the target. Scattering of vortex electrons by atoms can, therefore, serve as a valuable tool for diagnostics of such beams.