Relativistic collision rate calculations for electron-air interactions
- EG and G Energy Measurements, Inc., Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Los Alamos National Lab., NM (United States). Space Science and Technologies
The most recent data available on differential cross sections for electron-air interactions are used to calculate the avalanche, momentum transfer, and energy loss rates that enter into the fluid equations. Data for the important elastic, inelastic, and ionizing processes are generally available out to electron energies of 1--10 kev. Prescriptions for extending these cross sections to the relativistic regime are presented. The angular dependence of the cross sections is included where data is available as is the doubly differential cross section for ionizing collisions. The collision rates are computed by taking moments of the Boltzmann collision integrals with the assumption that the electron momentum distribution function is given by the Juettner distribution function which satisfies the relativistic H- theorem and which reduces to the familiar Maxwellian velocity distribution in the nonrelativistic regime. The distribution function is parameterized in terms of the electron density, mean momentum, and thermal energy and the rates are therefore computed on a two-dimensional grid as a function of mean kinetic energy and thermal energy.
- Research Organization:
- EG and G Energy Measurements, Inc., Los Alamos, NM (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC08-93NV11265; W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 10158707
- Report Number(s):
- EGG-11265-5122; ON: DE94013566; TRN: 94:012206
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 16 Dec 1992
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
AIR
CHARGED-PARTICLE TRANSPORT
ELECTRONS
ENERGY LOSSES
RELATIVISTIC RANGE
IONIZATION
KINETIC ENERGY
ELASTIC SCATTERING
INELASTIC SCATTERING
CALCULATION METHODS
THEORETICAL DATA
ENERGY TRANSFER
BOLTZMANN EQUATION
663620
PHYSICS OF RADIATIONS OTHER THAN NEUTRONS