Application of the semiclassical method to polarization

Abstract

A formula is derived for the polarization in elastic scattering, based on the semiclassical approximation. The polarization is given by the sum of two terms, one proportional to the angle and one proportional to the derivative of the cross section. The relative magnitudes of the terms depend on the relative phase of the spin orbit potential with respect to the real potential. This is compared with quantum calculations for several cases. While not quantitatively accurate, the formula reproduces the qualitative behaviour of the polarization under a broad range of conditions.