The problem of multiple scattering by two rigid spheres is studied in the context of an effective range theory. At low energies, by expanding the total wave function in powers of the momentum of the incident particle, it is observed that the coefficients of different terms of the expansion are solutions of either Laplace or Poisson equations. These equations are separable in bispherical coordinates. Using the method of separation of variables, one can determine the scattering amplitude and its first and second derivatives with respect to momentum, at zero energy. In particular, a simple expression is obtained for the scattering length of two hard spheres. With the help of the Green's function in bispherical coordinates, it is shown that for any wavenumber, the scattered wave satisfies an inhomogeneous integral equation in two variables. Hence, the exact wave function and the scattering amplitude can be found numerically for all energies.
Pion Scattering Length from Two-Pion Wave Function