Distorted Coulomb field of the scattered electron

Experimental results for the radiation emission from ultrarelativistic electrons in targets of 0.03%–5% radiation length is presented. For the thinnest targets, the radiation emission is in accordance with the Bethe-Heitler formulation of bremsstrahlung, the target acting as a single scatterer. In this regime, the radiation intensity is proportional to the thickness. As the thickness increases, the distorted Coulomb field of the electron that is the result of the first scattering events, leads to a suppressed radiation emission per interaction, upon subsequent scattering events. In that case, the radiation intensity becomes proportional to a logarithmic function of the thickness, due to the suppression. Eventually, once the target becomes sufficiently thick, the entire radiation process becomes influenced by multiple scattering and the radiation intensity is again proportional to the thickness, but with a different constant of proportionality. The observed logarithmic thickness dependence of radiation intensity at intermediate values of the thickness can be directly interpreted as a manifestation of the distortion of the electron Coulomb field resulting from a scattering event. The Landau-Pomeranchuk-Migdal effect is explored with high primary energy using materials with low nuclear charge (Z). Also, targets that should give rise to the claimed interference effect in high-energy radiation emission from a structured target of thin foils are investigated.