ON ANNIHILATION AND OTHER INTERACTIONS OF POSITRONS IN A PLASMA.
Abstract
A consistent derivation of the nonrelativistic Hamiltonian for a many-body electron-positron system is given as well as a general formula for the annihilation probability in such a system. The derivations begin with the proper relativistic expressions and are based on a power expansion of the electron-positron field operators in terms of (k/K), where hk is the nonrelativistic momentum of the particles and K the inverse of the electron Compton wavelength. The theory is carried out up to the second power in (k/K) for the Hamiltonian as well as the annihilation probability. An upper momentum cut-off k(max) = K is introduced to avoid divergences and insure the convergence of the expansion. The annihilation rate and the angular correlation function are then evaluated for a plasma as a function of the electron temperature, assuming thermal equilibrium for electrons as well as positrons. Finally, a short survey of other processes than annihilation with free electrons is given. (author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0702406
Entities
People
- Richard T. Schneider
- Wilhelm G. Wolfer
Organizations
- University of Florida