Luminosity enhancement factor for thermal Comptonization and the electron energy balance

Details Luminosity enhancement factor for thermal Comptonization and the electron energy balance Luminosity enhancement factor for thermal Comptonization and the electron energy balance

Mar 1991

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991apj...369..410d&link_type=abstract

Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 369, March 10, 1991, p. 410-421.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

51

Compton Effect, Hot Electrons, Plasma Radiation, Stellar Luminosity, Active Galactic Nuclei, Bremsstrahlung, Monte Carlo Method, Plasmas, Radiation Mechanisms

Scientific paper

Comptonization of soft photons by hot thermal electrons is an important cooling mechanism governing the electron energy balance in astrophysical plasmas. We treat thermal Comptonization in terms of the luminosity enhancement factor η, which gives the average change in energy of a photon between injection into and escape from a scattering medium. The region in which the photon scatters is characterized by the dimensionless electron temperature θ = kT/mec2, Thomson depth τT, and geometry. We derive an approximate expression for η given by
η =
where P = 1 - exp (-τ×), A = 1 + 4θ + 16θ2, and x = hv/mec2 is the photon energy at injection. Equation (1), with τT replaced by an effective scattering depth Teff(θ, τT), is used to fit Monte Carlo results for η at relativistic temperatures in three geometries: a point source of photons located at the center of a sphere; a uniform source of photons distributed throughout the volume of a sphere; and a uniform source of photons distributed throughout the volume of a disk. Equation (1) also provides a good approximation to the nonrelativistic luminosity enhancement factor in the diffusion regime when - ln P/ln A is identified with the nonrelativistic photon spectral index α derived by Sunyaev and Titarchuk. Integration of equation (1) over the bremsstrahlung source term provides a generalization of the result derived by Kompaneets for the enhancement of energy-loss rate of thermal electrons due to Comptonization of internally produced bremsstrahlung photons. Expressions for the electron energy-loss rate due to Comptonization of thermal cyclosynchrotron photons and nonthermal soft photons are also derived.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Luminosity enhancement factor for thermal Comptonization and the electron energy balance 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 Luminosity enhancement factor for thermal Comptonization and the electron energy balance, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Luminosity enhancement factor for thermal Comptonization and the electron energy balance will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1602684