A new approach to cosmic ray diffusion theoryWe have investigated a new approach to deriving a diffusion equation for charged particles in a static, random magnetic field. Our approach differs from the usual, quasi-linear one, in that we replace particle orbits in the average field by particle orbits in a partially averaged field. In this way, the fluctuating component of the field significantly modifies the particle orbits in those cases where the orbits in the average field are unrealistic. This method allows us to calculate a finite value for the pitch angle diffusion coefficient for particles with a pitch angle of 90 deg rather than the divergent or ambiguous results obtained by quasi-linear theories.
Document ID
19740047443
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Jones, F. C.
Birmingham, T. J. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Theoretical Studies Branch, Greenbelt, Md., United States)
Kaiser, T. B. (Maryland, University College Park, Md., United States)