Laser-assisted electron-atom scattering (LAES) experiments try to answer a simple question: what happens when

an electron scatters from a target in the presence of a laser field? Laser-assisted free-free (LAFF) processes are the

simplest, and were the first experimentally examined, examples of LAES experiments. In LAFF experiments, the

presence of a laser field reduces the amplitude of the elastic peak, and produces a series of sidebands. The sidebands

below the elastic peak are the result of photon emission by the scattered electron, while the higher energy sidebands

result from photon absorption. Despite the fact that LAFF experiments have been conducted for over 35 years, they

are of current experimental and theoretical interest, partly because a theoretical description of some experiments has

been elusive. This talk will provide an overview of the various types of LAES experiments, and then focus on our

recent LAFF experiments.

 

Refreshments will be served in CP 179 at 3:15 PM