Low‐Energy Atomic Scattering: S‐Wave Relation Between the Interaction Potential and the Phase Shift

Abstract The on‐shell approximation is investigated in the context of s‐wave scattering for ultracold two‐body collisions. This analysis systematically covers spatial dimensions , with the aim of identifying the regimes in which the approximation remains valid when applied to commonly used model interaction potentials. Specifically, the square well and delta shell potentials are focused, both of which admit analytical solutions for the s‐wave scattering problem in all dimensions considered. By employing the exact analytical expressions for the s‐wave scattering phase shift, a direct comparison is performed between the exact on‐shell matrix element of the interaction potential and their corresponding approximations across a range of collision momenta. Particular attention is given to the low‐energy regime. These findings indicate that, although the on‐shell approximation generally improves with increasing momentum, its accuracy also improves for weaker potentials. Remarkably, in the limit of weak interactions, it is demonstrated that the on‐shell approximation becomes exact at leading order. In this regime, the approximation offers a controlled means of deriving the low‐momentum expansion of the potential and may serve as a useful tool in constructing effective interactions for quantum field theories.