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RELATIVISTIC CORRECTIONS IN STATISTICAL MECHANICS FOR A SYSTEM OF CHARGED PARTICLES

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:4693105
Relativistic effects for systems of interacting particles are studied. The noninstantaneous nature of the forces leads to dynamical equations, which can not be treated by known mathematical methods; however, the interaction terms can be expanded to obtain a description of the system in terms of the positions and their derivatives of all orders at a single time. If one stops at the (v/c)/sup 2/ approximation, a specification in terms of positions and velocities is obtained. In electrodynamica this corresponds to the Darwin Hamiltonian. A system described by this Hamiltonian is investigated with the methoda of equilibrium statistical mechanics. The cluster expansion with subsequent summation of diagrams as employed by Mayer for the Coulomb case is used; the modifications necessary due to the presence of momentum-dependent terms in the interaction are developed. Taking the lowest-order nonvanishing (ring) approximation, the relativistic corrections to the DebyeHuckel law are sought. However, mathematical difficulties peculiar to the relativistic interactions force restriction to calculation of the relativistic short-range correlation effects in the charged system. The results include a modified Debye-Huckel law with relativistic correction. This correction is small compared to the static one. At the high temperatures required for appearance of relativistic effects, the static term is nonnegligible only at very high densities. Consequently the relativistic contribution can in effect be neglected in this approximation. (Dissertation Abstr.)
Research Organization:
Originating Research Org. not identified
NSA Number:
NSA-17-022396
OSTI ID:
4693105
Country of Publication:
Country unknown/Code not available
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

CHARGED PARTICLES
DEBYE-HUECKEL LAW
DENSITY
DIAGRAMS
ELECTRODYNAMICS
EQUATIONS
INTERACTIONS
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICS
MOMENTUM
PHYSICS
PLASMA
RELATIVITY THEORY
STATISTICS
TEMPERATURE
VELOCITY