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The Mean Free Path of Relativistic Electrons for Plasmon Excitation
Author(s) -
Ashley J. C.,
Ritchie R. H.
Publication year - 1970
Publication title -
physica status solidi (b)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1521-3951
pISSN - 0370-1972
DOI - 10.1002/pssb.19700400221
Subject(s) - mean free path , excitation , physics , free electron model , electron , plasmon , atomic physics , quantum electrodynamics , perturbation theory (quantum mechanics) , perturbation (astronomy) , computational physics , quantum mechanics
The interaction of a relativistic electron with a system of plasmons is considered. First‐order perturbation theory is used to calculate the rate of excitation of plasmons by the incident electron; the excitation rate leads to a mean free path. It is shown that relativistic corrections to the mean free path are generally quite negligible and thus the mean free path calculated using a nonrelativistic incident electron, when expressed in the “proper fashion”, is also correct relativistically.