Soft-photon emission effects and radiative corrections for electromagnetic processes at very high energies

Journal Article · Fri Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 1979 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/157154· OSTI ID:6143560

Gould, R J

The effects of higher-order electromagnetic processes involving particles at ultrahigh energies are considered. Processes such as ''double Compton scattering'' (Compton scattering with the emission of an additional photon) are relevant for, for example, interaction of a high-energy electron with the cosmic blackbody photon gas. For incident photon energies greater than about 10/sup 13/ eV in the electron rest frame, the cross section for the process is as large as that for (ordinary) Compton scattering when the minimum energy of the additional outgoing photon is of the order of 0.01 mc/sup 2/, even though the process is of higher order. However, for certain problems, such as the energy loss for electrons through Compton scattering, the effects are largely cancelled by a negative contribution of the same order (in ..cap alpha..) from radiative corrections to Compton scattering. Because of its fundamental importance, a general outline of the physics of soft-photon emission is given for nonrelativistic and relativistic particle processes. In particular, the relationship between the classical and quantum-mechanical Bron-approximation formulae (which are essentially the same) is discussed.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego
• OSTI ID: 6143560
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Journal Name: Astrophys. J.; (United States) Vol. 230:3; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640101* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Cosmic Radiation
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
BASIC INTERACTIONS
COMPTON EFFECT
COSMIC PHOTONS
COSMIC RADIATION
CROSS SECTIONS
ELASTIC SCATTERING
ELECTRODYNAMICS
ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERACTIONS
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
EMISSION
FERMIONS
FIELD THEORIES
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
INTERACTIONS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTONS
MASSLESS PARTICLES
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
PHOTON EMISSION
PHOTONS
PROBABILITY
QUANTUM ELECTRODYNAMICS
QUANTUM FIELD THEORY
RADIATIONS
SCATTERING