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Questions tagged [mean-free-path]

The average length that a molecule will travel in a fluid before colliding with another molecule.

3 votes
0 answers
391 views

Ion charge exchange mean free path

I am using the following equation to calculate the mean free path between a deuteron ion and background gas: $$\lambda_{d-gas} = \frac{kT_{gas}}{p_{gas} \, \sigma_{10}}$$ Where $\sigma_{10}$ is the ...
auden's user avatar
  • 7,057
1 vote
1 answer
7k views

Viscosity and mean free path

I have troubles understanding how to derive the formula for viscosity in terms of the mean free path $$\eta\sim \rho \lambda \bar v$$ where $\bar v$ is the average molecular velocity of the gas, $\...
Jonathan Lindgren's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
624 views

speed distribution and mean free path of gases at pressure

I know that at 18,000 ft. above mean sea level, the atm. pressure ~half of what it is at seal level (760 Torr). The temperature also decreases by 70C. a. How would this change the speed distribution ...
Jackson Hart's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
1k views

Mean free path in 2d? [duplicate]

Let us say we have a collection of $n$ stationary balls per square meter each of diameter $d$ and we roll an identical ball between them. Then what is the free mean path of this ball? My ...
Quantum spaghettification's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
391 views

Derivation of relativistic mean free path

I am working through a short derivation found in Abramowicz 1991 regarding the mean free path of a photon. We have a fluid moving in a particular direction with velocity $v$ and in an inertial rest ...
Tom's user avatar
  • 75
0 votes
1 answer
55 views

How photons get distributed in a system?

Let's say I'm in a room, and there are plenty of things in my room like carpet,mirrors,glass and other stuff.And I see there are shadow regions and fully bright regions, and I want to know how photons ...
Gary Grey's user avatar
  • 399
2 votes
0 answers
120 views

Mean free path in spherical coordinate

I am thinking about a distribution with spatially inhomogeneous cross section in spherical coordinate. Starting with 1-dimensional case, a change of the flux passing through a slab with length $dx$ is ...
user1048419's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
574 views

Does it make sense to define the mean free path in quantum mechanics?

The mean free path defined in classical molecule dynamics has a strong classical flavor. Is it sensible to generalize the idea to quantum mechanics?
San's user avatar
  • 153
2 votes
0 answers
792 views

Copper mean free path dependence on temperature

I'm doing simulations of copper, where the temperature can reach up to ~1300 K. Some calculations depend on the mean free path (MFP) of copper. The only value I've found for it is 39nm and it's ...
eimrek's user avatar
  • 344
4 votes
2 answers
7k views

RMS Free Path vs Mean Free Path

I am trying to determine the mathematical difference between mean free path and root-mean-square free path. For an ideal gas, the relaxation time is $$\tau=\frac{1}{\sqrt2 \pi nd^2 \bar v}$$ and the ...
Greg Harrington's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
1k views

Molecular mean free path probability

Let's let $p(\xi)$ be the probability a molecule travels at least $\xi$ between collisions, lets say $\xi=0.01$. When I think of this statement, I think it it is the probability the molecule is able ...
Greg Harrington's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
1k views

Energy of particle in electric field

I'm taking a physics class and the professor teaches us really basic things in lecture and then gives homework way beyond what he taught in lecture. Obviously I need to find some resource other than ...
Void Star's user avatar
  • 236
0 votes
1 answer
146 views

Do particles in the solar core travel at the same speed as they would in vacuum?

I just read the Wikipedia article on the Sun. The section on Solar Core states It has a density of up to 150 g/cm3[47][48] (about 150 times the density of water) Do the particles (atomic, and sub-...
Everyone's user avatar
  • 4,723
2 votes
1 answer
184 views

The number of mean free paths which a particle traverses is independent of the material traversed

This is a manual from a Monte Carlo physics manual: Computing the occurrence of a process Can anyone tell me why the number of mean free paths of a particle is independent of the material which it ...
bateman's user avatar
  • 21
3 votes
1 answer
12k views

Formula for mean free path in two dimensions

I'm running some simulations of particle collisions in two dimensions with discretised time and space. In essence, particles only collide if they occupy the same location (cell) at the same time step. ...
WizzPhiz's user avatar

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