New electron-proton Bremsstrahlung rates for a hot plasma where the electron temperature is much smaller than the proton temperature

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics

Scientific paper

Rate now

  [ 0.00 ] – not rated yet Voters 0   Comments 0

Details

5 pages, 3 figures, accepted by A&A

Scientific paper

10.1051/0004-6361:20066245

Context: Observations of X-Ray sources harbouring a black hole and an accretion disc show the presence of at least two spectral components. One component is black-body radiation from an optically thick standard accretion disc. The other is produced in a optically thin corona and usually shows a powerlaw behaviour. Electron-proton (ep) bremsstrahlung is one of the contributing radiation mechanisms in the corona. Soft photons from the optically thick disc can Compton cool the electrons in the corona and therefore lead to a two-temperature plasma, where electrons and ions have different temperatures. Aims: We qualitatively discuss effects on ep-bremsstrahlung in the presence of such a two-temperature plasma. Methods: We use the classical dipole approximation allowing for non-relativistic electrons and protons and apply quantum corrections through high-precision Gaunt factors. Results: In the two-temperature case (T_e< T_p) the protons cause a significant fraction of the ep-bremsstrahlung if their speed is high compared to the electrons. We give accurate values for ep-bremsstrahlung including quantum-mechanical corrections in the non-relativistic limit and give some approximations in the relativistic limit. Conclusions: The formulae presented in this paper can be used in models of black hole accretion discs where an optically thin corona can comprise a two-temperature plasma. This work could be extended to include the fully relativistic case if required.

No associations

LandOfFree

Say what you really think

Search LandOfFree.com for scientists and scientific papers. Rate them and share your experience with other people.

Rating

New electron-proton Bremsstrahlung rates for a hot plasma where the electron temperature is much smaller than the proton temperature does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with New electron-proton Bremsstrahlung rates for a hot plasma where the electron temperature is much smaller than the proton temperature, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and New electron-proton Bremsstrahlung rates for a hot plasma where the electron temperature is much smaller than the proton temperature will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

     

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-134588

  Search
All data on this website is collected from public sources. Our data reflects the most accurate information available at the time of publication.