Momentum relaxation of a relativistic Brownian particle.
The momentum relaxation of a relativistic Brownian particle immersed in a fluid is studied on the basis of the Fokker-Planck equation for the relativistic Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. An analytical expression is derived for the short-time relaxation rate. The relaxation spectrum has both discrete and continuum components. It is shown that the Fokker-Planck equation under consideration is closely related to the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom. Hence it follows that there is an infinite number of discrete states. The momentum autocorrelation function is calculated numerically for a strongly relativistic particle.
Institut für Theoretische Physik A, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52056 Aachen, Germany. ufelder@physik.rwth-aachen.de
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BU
Felderhof