Transverse conductivity of a relativistic plasma in oblique electric and magnetic fields

Journal Article · Wed May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · Astrophysical Journal; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/170037· OSTI ID:5504133

Melia, F; Fatuzzo, M ^[1]

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1. Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (USA)

Resistive tearing in a primary candidate for flares occurring in stressed magnetic fields. Its possible application to the strongly magnetized environments (Hz about 10 to the 12th G) near the surface of neutron stars, particularly as a mechanism for generating the plasma heating and particle acceleration leading to gamma-ray bursts, has motivated a quantum treatment of this process, which requires knowledge of the electrical conductivity sigma of a relativistic gas in a new domain (i.e., that of a low-density n/e/) plasma in oblique electric and magnetic fields. This paper discusses the mathematical formalism for calculating sigma and present numerical results for a wide range of parameter values. The results indicate that sigma depends very strongly on both the applied electric and magnetic fields. 26 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5504133
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal; (United States), Vol. 373; Other Information: Sloan Foundation; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
NEUTRON STARS
COSMIC GAMMA BURSTS
PLASMA HEATING
RELATIVISTIC PLASMA
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ACCELERATION
CALCULATION METHODS
ELECTRIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
PULSARS
QUANTUM MECHANICS
STELLAR FLARES
COSMIC RADIATION
COSMIC RADIO SOURCES
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MATHEMATICS
MECHANICS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
PRIMARY COSMIC RADIATION
RADIATIONS
STARS
STELLAR ACTIVITY
640102* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Stars & Quasi-Stellar
Radio & X-Ray Sources