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arXiv · astro-ph/9702187

Kinetics of electron-positron pair plasmas using an adaptive Monte Carlo method

Ravi P. Pilla·Jacob Shaham
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Abstract

A new algorithm for implementing the adaptive Monte Carlo method is given. It is used to solve the relativistic Boltzmann equations that describe the time evolution of a nonequilibrium electron-positron pair plasma containing high-energy photons and pairs. The collision kernels for the photons as well as pairs are constructed for Compton scattering, pair annihilation and creation, bremsstrahlung, and Bhabha & Moller scattering. For a homogeneous and isotropic plasma, analytical equilibrium solutions are obtained in terms of the initial conditions. For two non-equilibrium models, the time evolution of the photon and pair spectra is determined using the new method. The asymptotic numerical solutions are found to be in a good agreement with the analytical equilibrium states. Astrophysical applications of this scheme are discussed.

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Ravi P. Pilla, Jacob Shaham. 1997-02-21. Kinetics of electron-positron pair plasmas using an adaptive Monte Carlo method. https://doi.org/10.1086/304534

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