Thomson scattering
E436131
Thomson scattering is the low-energy, classical limit of photon–electron scattering in which electromagnetic radiation is elastically scattered by free charged particles, especially electrons.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Thomson scattering canonical | 2 |
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
elastic scattering
ⓘ
photon–electron scattering ⓘ physical process ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
free charged particles
ⓘ
free electrons ⓘ low-energy photons ⓘ |
| assumes |
classical electrodynamics
ⓘ
electron recoil is negligible ⓘ electron treated as a classical point charge ⓘ |
| category |
classical electromagnetism
ⓘ
scattering theory ⓘ |
| changes | photon direction ⓘ |
| conserves |
photon energy
ⓘ
photon wavelength ⓘ |
| describes | elastic scattering of electromagnetic radiation by free charged particles ⓘ |
| differsFrom | Compton scattering by absence of photon energy shift ⓘ |
| governedBy |
Lorentz force law
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Maxwell equations NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| hasAngularDependence | 1 + cos²θ ⓘ |
| hasDifferentialCrossSection | dσ/dΩ = (r_e²/2)(1 + cos²θ) ⓘ |
| hasTotalCrossSection | σ_T = (8π/3) r_e^2 ⓘ |
| hasTotalCrossSectionValue | σ_T ≈ 6.65×10⁻²⁹ m² ⓘ |
| isApproximationOf | Klein–Nishina scattering formula at low energies NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| isImportantFor |
opacity in hot stellar atmospheres
ⓘ
polarization of scattered light ⓘ radiation transport in plasmas ⓘ |
| isIndependentOf | photon frequency in its validity regime ⓘ |
| isLimitOf | Compton scattering NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| isLimitType | classical limit of photon–electron scattering ⓘ |
| isSpecialCaseOf |
Rayleigh scattering
ⓘ
classical radiation scattering ⓘ |
| namedAfter | J. J. Thomson NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| neglects |
electron spin effects
ⓘ
quantum electrodynamics effects ⓘ |
| occursIn |
astrophysical plasmas
ⓘ
ionized interstellar medium ⓘ stellar interiors ⓘ the solar corona ⓘ |
| polarizationDependsOn | scattering angle ⓘ |
| produces | linearly polarized scattered radiation ⓘ |
| relatedTo | Compton scattering ⓘ |
| usedIn |
diagnostics of inertial confinement fusion plasmas
ⓘ
diagnostics of tokamak plasmas ⓘ fusion plasma diagnostics ⓘ laser Thomson scattering diagnostics ⓘ |
| usedToProbe |
electron density in plasmas
ⓘ
temperature of laboratory plasmas ⓘ |
| usesConstant | classical electron radius r_e ⓘ |
| validWhen |
nonrelativistic electron velocities
ⓘ
photon energy is much smaller than electron rest mass energy ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.