Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Decay Rates in Strong Magnetic Fields

Details Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Decay Rates in Strong Magnetic Fields Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Decay Rates in Strong Magnetic Fields

2005-05-16

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0505327v1

Astrophys.J. 630 (2005) 430-440

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

11 pages, 2 embedded figures, apjgalley format, To appear in The Astrophysical Journal, Vol 630, September 1, 2005 issue

Scientific paper

10.1086/431895

Cyclotron decay and absorption rates have been well studied in the literature, focusing primarily on spectral, angular and polarization dependence. Astrophysical applications usually do not require retention of information on the electron spin state, and these are normally averaged in obtaining the requisite rates. In magnetic fields, higher order quantum processes such as Compton scattering become resonant at the cyclotron frequency and its harmonics, with the resonances being formally divergent. Such divergences are usually eliminated by accounting for the finite lifetimes of excited Landau states. This practice requires the use of spin-dependent cyclotron rates in order to obtain accurate determinations of process rates very near cyclotronic resonances, the phase space domain most relevant for certain applications to pulsar models. This paper develops previous results in the literature to obtain compact analytic expressions for cyclotron decay rates/widths in terms of a series of Legendre functions of the second kind; these expressions can be expediently used in astrophysical models. The rates are derived using two popular eigenstate formalisms, namely that due to Sokolov and Ternov, and that due to Johnson and Lippmann. These constitute two sets of eigenfunctions of the Dirac equation that diagonalize different operators, and accordingly yield different spin-dependent cyclotron rates. This paper illustrates the attractive Lorentz transformation characteristics of the Sokolov and Ternov formulation, which is another reason why it is preferable when electron spin information must be explicitly retained.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Decay Rates in Strong Magnetic Fields 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 Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Decay Rates in Strong Magnetic Fields, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Spin-Dependent Cyclotron Decay Rates in Strong Magnetic Fields will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-271430