The Nature of X-Rays and Their Interactions with Matter-Volume II: Beyond Semi-Classical Concepts (Springer Tracts in Modern Physics, 296)

Volume II of the second edition, subtitled Beyond Semi-Classical Concepts, expands the description of x-rays into the framework of quantum optics, rooted in the full theory of light and matter: quantum electrodynamics (QED).Following a brief introduction, the book is organized into three parts and an appendix. Part I explores the description of x-rays and diffraction phenomena within the advanced formalism of quantum optics.The discussion extends conventional quantum mechanics, which treats photons as independent particles, to higher-order quantum states containing multiple photons.A central theme is the emerging paradigm that quantum states with two or more photons can be directly observed in diffraction experiments using multi-photon detection.This makes it possible to overcome constraints of the classical framework, such as the diffraction limit, and to probe novel effects including photon-photon entanglement and interference. Part II presents the quantum formulation of weak photon-