AbstractAbstract
[en] A detailed treatment of the kinematics of relativistic systems of particles and photons is presented. In the case of a relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of particles, the reaction rate and luminosity are written as single integrals over the invariant cross section, and the production spectrum is written as a double integral over the cross section differential in the energy of the produced particles (or photons) in the center-of-momentum system of two colliding particles. The results are applied to the calculation of the annihilation spectrum of a thermal electron-positron plasma, confirming previous numerical and analytic results. Relativistic thermal electron-ion and electron-electron bremsstrahlung are calculated exactly to lowest order, and relativistic thermal electron-positron bremsstrahlung is calculated in an approximate fashion. An approximate treatment of relativistic Comptonization is developed. The question of thermalization of a relativistic plasma is considered. A formula for the energy loss or exchange rate from the interaction of two relativistic Maxwell-Boltzmann plasmas at different temperatures is derived. Application to a stable, uniform, nonmagnetic relativistic thermal plasma is made. Comparison is made with other studies
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Source
Jul 1984; 161 p; NASA-TM--86154; Available from NTIS, PC A08/MF A01
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Report
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Descriptors (DEC)
ANTILEPTONS, ANTIMATTER, ANTIPARTICLES, BASIC INTERACTIONS, ELASTIC SCATTERING, ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS, ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION, ELEMENTARY PARTICLES, FERMIONS, INTERACTIONS, KINETICS, LEPTONS, MASSLESS PARTICLES, MATTER, OPTICAL PROPERTIES, PARTICLE INTERACTIONS, PHYSICAL PROPERTIES, PLASMA, RADIATIONS, SCATTERING, SLOWING-DOWN
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