Spin-dependent two-photon Bragg scattering in the Kapitza-Dirac effect

Abstract

We present the possibility of spin-dependent Kapitza-Dirac scattering based on a two-photon interaction only. The interaction scheme is inspired from a Compton scattering process, for which we explicitly show the mathematical correspondence to the spin-dynamics of an electron diffraction process in a standing light wave. The spin effect has the advantage that it already appears in a Bragg scattering setup with arbitrary low field amplitudes, for which we have estimated the diffraction count rate in a realistic experimental setup at available X-ray free-electron laser facilities.