IPhO 1989 · Theory problem 3

From an electron microscope to a proton microscope

The problem concerns investigation of transforming the electron microscope with magnetic guiding of the electron beam (which is accelerated with the potential difference \(U = 511\ \mathrm{kV}\)) into a proton microscope (in which the proton beam is accelerated with the potential difference \(-U\)). For this purpose, solve the following two problems:

A. An electron after leaving a device, which accelerated it with the potential difference \(U\), falls into a region with an inhomogeneous field \(\boldsymbol{B}\) generated with a system of stationary coils \(L_1, L_2, \ldots, L_n\). The known currents in the coils are \(i_1, i_2, \ldots, i_n\), respectively.

What should the currents \(i'_1, i'_2, \ldots, i'_n\) in the coils \(L_1, L_2, \ldots, L_n\) be, in order to guide the proton (initially accelerated with the potential difference \(-U\)) along the same trajectory (and in the same direction) as that of the electron?

HINT: The problem can be solved by finding a condition under which the equation describing the trajectory is the same in both cases. It may be helpful to use the relation:

\[ \boldsymbol{p}\frac{d}{dt}\boldsymbol{p} = \frac{1}{2}\frac{d}{dt}\boldsymbol{p}^{\,2} = \frac{1}{2}\frac{d}{dt}p^2. \]

B. How many times would the resolving power of the above microscope increase or decrease if the electron beam were replaced with the proton beam? Assume that the resolving power of the microscope (i.e. the smallest distance between two point objects whose circular images can be just separated) depends only on the wave properties of the particles.

Assume that the velocities of the electrons and protons before their acceleration are zero, and that there is no interaction between own magnetic moment of either electrons or protons and the magnetic field. Assume also that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the moving particles can be neglected.

NOTE: Very often physicists use 1 electron-volt (1 eV), and its derivatives such as 1 keV or 1 MeV, as a unit of energy. 1 electron-volt is the energy gained by the electron that passed the potential difference equal to 1 V.

Perform the calculations assuming the following data:

Rest energy of electron: \(E_e=m_ec^2=511\ \mathrm{keV}\)
Rest energy of proton: \(E_p=m_pc^2=938\ \mathrm{MeV}\)

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • A. Reverse every coil current and multiply its magnitude by approximately \(35.0\): \[ \boxed{ i'_k=-\sqrt{\frac{2E_p+eU}{2E_e+eU}}\,i_k \simeq-35.0\,i_k,\qquad k=1,\ldots,n. } \]

  • B. The minimum resolvable distance becomes \[ \boxed{\frac{d_p}{d_e}=\frac{\lambda_p}{\lambda_e}\simeq0.0286.} \] Thus the minimum distance—the quantity called “resolving power” in the statement—decreases by a factor of \(35.0\). The ability to resolve fine detail improves by that factor; resolving power defined conventionally as \(1/d\) increases by \(35.0\).

Solution

A. Coil currents

Let \(e>0\) denote the elementary charge, so that \(q_e=-e\) and \(q_p=+e\). After acceleration, the motion in the magnetic field obeys the relativistic Lorentz-force equation \[ \frac{d\boldsymbol p}{dt} =q\,\boldsymbol v\times\boldsymbol B, \qquad \boldsymbol p=\gamma m\boldsymbol v. \]

Taking the scalar product with \(\boldsymbol p\), which is parallel to \(\boldsymbol v\), gives \[ \frac12\frac{d(p^2)}{dt} =\boldsymbol p\cdot\frac{d\boldsymbol p}{dt} =q\,\boldsymbol p\cdot(\boldsymbol v\times\boldsymbol B) =0. \] Hence the momentum magnitude \(p\) remains constant. This holds even when the magnetic field is inhomogeneous, under the stated neglect of magnetic-moment interactions and radiation.

To describe the spatial trajectory independently of the particle’s speed, let \(s\) be arc length increasing in the direction of motion, and let \[ \boldsymbol t=\frac{d\boldsymbol r}{ds} \] be the unit tangent. Then \(\boldsymbol p=p\boldsymbol t\), \(\boldsymbol v=v\boldsymbol t\), and \(ds/dt=v\). Consequently, \[ pv\frac{d\boldsymbol t}{ds} =qv\,\boldsymbol t\times\boldsymbol B, \] so the trajectory equations are \[ \boxed{ \frac{d\boldsymbol r}{ds}=\boldsymbol t, \qquad \frac{d\boldsymbol t}{ds} =\frac{q}{p}\,\boldsymbol t\times\boldsymbol B(\boldsymbol r). } \]

For the electron in \(\boldsymbol B\) and the proton in a new field \(\boldsymbol B'\), these equations coincide if \[ \frac{e}{p_p}\boldsymbol B' =-\frac{e}{p_e}\boldsymbol B, \] or \[ \boldsymbol B'(\boldsymbol r) =-\frac{p_p}{p_e}\boldsymbol B(\boldsymbol r). \] With the same entry point and direction, both particles therefore follow the same oriented spatial trajectory.

The magnetic field of the coil system is linear in its currents. Multiplying every current by the same factor multiplies the field everywhere by that factor. Thus the required choice is \[ i'_k=-\frac{p_p}{p_e}\,i_k. \]

It remains to calculate the momentum ratio. Both particles start from rest and gain the same kinetic energy, \[ K=eU=511\ \mathrm{keV}=0.511\ \mathrm{MeV}. \] The electron must be treated relativistically because \(K=E_e\). We use the exact relativistic expression for both particles: \[ (K+mc^2)^2=p^2c^2+m^2c^4. \] Therefore, \[ pc=\sqrt{K(K+2mc^2)}, \] and \[ \frac{p_p}{p_e} =\sqrt{\frac{K+2E_p}{K+2E_e}}. \]

Numerically, using energies in MeV, \[ p_ec=\sqrt{0.511(0.511+2\times0.511)} \simeq0.885\ \mathrm{MeV}, \] \[ p_pc=\sqrt{0.511(0.511+2\times938)} \simeq31.0\ \mathrm{MeV}. \] The ratio is \[ \frac{p_p}{p_e} =\sqrt{\frac{1876.511}{1.533}} =34.9868\ldots. \] Hence \[ \boxed{i'_k\simeq-35.0\,i_k\qquad(k=1,\ldots,n).} \] The negative sign is essential: reversing the magnetic field compensates for the reversal of the particle’s charge.

B. Resolving power

The de Broglie wavelength is \[ \lambda=\frac{h}{p}. \] For a diffraction-limited microscope with a fixed aperture geometry, the minimum resolvable object separation is proportional to the wavelength. More explicitly, it has the form \[ d_{\min}=C\frac{\lambda}{\sin\alpha}, \] where \(\alpha\) is the aperture half-angle and \(C\) depends on the resolution criterion.

The field scaling found in part A preserves the beam trajectories and therefore the geometrical factors. Thus \[ \frac{d_p}{d_e} =\frac{\lambda_p}{\lambda_e} =\frac{p_e}{p_p} =\sqrt{\frac{K+2E_e}{K+2E_p}} =\frac{1}{34.9868\ldots}. \] Therefore, \[ \boxed{d_p\simeq0.0286\,d_e.} \]

The proton microscope can distinguish points approximately \(35.0\) times closer together. Under the statement’s definition, its “resolving power,” meaning the smallest resolvable distance, decreases by this factor. The conventional reciprocal resolving power increases by the same factor.

The solution was checked against the official solution.