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arXiv · astro-ph/0001252

On the numerical analysis of triplet pair production cross-sections and the mean energy of produced particles for modelling electron-photon cascade in a soft photon field

Abstract

The double and single differential cross-sections with respect to positron and electron energies as well as the total cross-section of triplet production in the laboratory frame are calculated numerically in order to develop a Monte Carlo code for modelling electron-photon cascades in a soft photon field. To avoid numerical integration irregularities of the integrands, which are inherent to problems of this type, we have used suitable substitutions in combination with a modern powerful program code Mathematica allowing one to achieve reliable higher-precission results. The results obtained for the total cross-section closely agree with others estimated analytically or by a different numerical approach. The results for the double and single differential cross-sections turn out to be somewhat different from some reported recently. The mean energy of the produced particles, as a function of the characteristic collisional parameter (the electron rest frame photon energy), is calculated and approximated by an analytical expression that revises other known approximations over a wide range of values of the argument. The primary-electron energy loss rate due to triplet pair production is shown to prevail over the inverse Compton scattering loss rate at several ($\sim$2) orders of magnitude higher interaction energy than that predicted formerly.

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V. Anguelov, S. Petrov, L. Gurdev, J. Kourtev. 2000-01-14. On the numerical analysis of triplet pair production cross-sections and the mean energy of produced particles for modelling electron-photon cascade in a soft photon field. https://doi.org/10.1088/0954-3899%2F25%2F8%2F315

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