Thursday, February 16, 2012

Thermal bremsstrahlung

In a claret the chargeless electrons consistently aftermath bremsstrahlung in collisions with the ions. A complete assay requires accounting for both bifold Coulomb collisions as able-bodied as aggregate (dielectric) behavior. A abundant analysis is accustomed in,3 some of which is abbreviated in ?, while a simplified one is accustomed in.4 In this area we chase Bekefi's dielectric treatment, with collisions included about via the blow wavenumber km.

Consider a compatible plasma, with thermal electrons (distributed according to the Maxwell–Boltzmann administration with the temperature Te). Following Bekefi, the ability ashen body (power per angular abundance breach per volume, chip over the accomplished 4π sr of solid angle, and in both polarizations) of the bremsstrahlung radiated, is affected to be

{dP_\mathrm{Br} \over d\omega} = {8\sqrt 2 \over 3\sqrt\pi} \left1-{\omega_p^2 \over \omega^2}\right^{1/2} \left Z_i^2 n_i n_e r_e^3 \right \left { \frac{(m_ec^2)^{3/2}}{(k_B T_e)^{1/2}} } \right E_1(y) ,

where ωp is the electron claret frequency, ne,ni is the amount body of electrons and ions, re is the classical ambit of electron, me is its mass, kB is the Boltzmann constant, and c is the acceleration of light. The aboriginal affiliated agency is the basis of refraction of a ablaze beachcomber in a plasma, and shows that discharge is abundantly suppressed for ω < ωp (this is the blow action for a ablaze beachcomber in a plasma; in this case the ablaze beachcomber is evanescent). This blueprint appropriately alone applies for ω > ωp. Note that the added affiliated agency has units of 1/volume and the third agency has units of energy, giving the actual absolute units of energy/volume. This blueprint should be summed over ion breed in a multi-species plasma.

The appropriate action E1 is authentic in the exponential basic article, and the unitless abundance y is

y = {1\over 2}{\omega^2 m_e \over k_m^2 k_B T_e}

km is a best or blow wavenumber, arising due to bifold collisions, and can alter with ion species. Roughly, km = 1 / λB if k_B T_e>Z_i^2 E_h (typical in plasmas that are not too cold), area E_h \approx 27.2 eV is the Hartree energy, and \lambda_B=\hbar/(m_e k_B T_e)^{1/2} is the electron thermal de Broglie wavelength. Otherwise, k_m \propto 1/l_c area lc is the classical Coulomb ambit of abutting approach.

For the accepted case km = 1 / λB, we find

y = {1\over2}\left\frac{\hbar\omega}{k_B T_e}\right^2 .

The blueprint for dPBr / dω is approximate, in that it neglects added discharge occurring for ω hardly aloft ωp.

In the absolute y < < 1, we can almost E1 as E_1(y) \approx -\ln y e^\gamma + O(y) area \gamma\approx 0.577 is the Euler–Mascheroni constant. The leading, logarithmic appellation is frequently used, and resembles the Coulomb logarithm that occurs in added collisional claret calculations. For y > e − γ the log appellation is negative, and the approximation is acutely inadequate. Bekefi gives adapted expressions for the logarthmic appellation that bout abundant binary-collision calculations.

The absolute discharge ability density, chip over all frequencies, is

\begin{align} P_\mathrm{Br} &= \int_{\omega_p}^\infty d\omega {dP_\mathrm{Br}\over d\omega} = {16 \over 3} \left Z_i^2 n_i n_e r_e^3 \right \leftm_e c^3 \right k_m G(y_p) \\ G(y_p) &= {1 \over 2\sqrt{\pi}} \int_{y_p}^\infty dy y^{-1/2} \left1-{y_p\over y}\right^{1/2} E_1(y) \\ y_p &= y(\omega=\omega_p) \end{align}

G(yp = 0) = 1 and decreases with yp; it is consistently positive. For km = 1 / λB, we find

P_\mathrm{Br} = {16 \over 3} \left Z_i^2 n_i n_e r_e^3 \right \left {c \over r_e} (m_e c^2 k_B T_e)^{1/2} \right \alpha G(y_p)

The aboriginal affiliated agency has units of 1/volume, while the added has units of power. Note the actualization of the fine-structure connected α due to the breakthrough attributes of λB. In applied units, a frequently acclimated adaptation of this blueprint for G = 1 is 5

P_\mathrm{Br} \textrm{W/m}^3 = {Z_i^2 n_i n_e \over \left7.69 \times 10^{18} \textrm{m}^{-3}\right^2} T_e\textrm{eV}^{1/2} .

This blueprint is 1.59 times the one accustomed above, with the aberration due to data of bifold collisions. Such ambiguity is about bidding by introducing Gaunt agency gB, e.g. in 6 one finds

\epsilon_\mathrm{ff} = 1.4\times 10^{-27} T^{1/2} n_{e} n_{i} Z^{2} g_B\,,

where aggregate is bidding in the CGS units.

edit Relativistic corrections

Relativistic corrections to the discharge of a 30-keV photon by an electron impacting on a proton.

For actual top temperatures there are relativistic corrections to this formula, that is, added agreement of the adjustment of k_B T_e/m_e c^2\,.1

edit Bremsstrahlung cooling

If the claret is optically thin, the bremsstrahlung radiation leaves the plasma, accustomed allotment of the centralized claret energy. This aftereffect is accepted as the bremsstrahlung cooling. It is a blazon of radiative cooling. The activity agitated abroad by bremsstrahlung is alleged bremsstrahlung losses and represent, respectively, a blazon of radiative losses. One about uses the appellation bremsstrahlung losses in the ambience if the claret cooling is undesired, as e.g. in admixture plasmas.

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