Approximate scattering solutions of the dirac equation for electron-nucleus processes in light nuclei

Scattering solutions of the second-order Dirac equation for the case of the Coulomb potential and which are correct to first order in the coupling constantZe ²/hc are investigated and found to describe pure Coulomb scattering equally well as the Sommerfeld-Maue wave functions. Errors introduced by the use of these solutions are studied in a numerical calculation of cross sections for nuclear electric-quadrupole excitation by high-energy electrons. The use of these wave functions is suggested for simplified calculations of lowest-order Coulomb corrections to Born approximation results for various electron-nucleus processes.