English

QM theory of the thermal electron gyroradius

Plasma Physics 2013-07-30 v1 Space Physics

Abstract

The average (thermal) gyroradius of charged particles is re-examined from a quantum-mechanical point of view. The straight quantum-mechanical calculation clearly reproduces its conventionally used random-mean-square (rms) expectation value. The quasi-classical approach reproduces its mean expectation value as well thus confirming the purely classical calculation. It shows that the fluctuations in the gyroradius amount to 21.5% of its rms value. This fluctuation is, however, within the usual 2\sqrt{2}-"freedom" range of choice in the definition of the rms gyroradius respectively the mean thermal speed on which the rms value is based, its correct (nonrelativistic) value vt2=2T/mev_t^2= 2T_\perp/m_e and its simplified version vt2=T/mev_t^2=T_\perp/m_e.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1307.7346,
  title  = {QM theory of the thermal electron gyroradius},
  author = {R. A. Treumann and W. Baumjohann},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1307.7346},
  year   = {2013}
}

Comments

4 pages, no figures