Thomson scattering

Thomson scattering is the classical, elastic scattering of electromagnetic radiation by a free charged particle, usually an electron. It applies when recoil and quantum effects are negligible.

Larmor formula: The formula for power radiated by a nonrelativistic accelerating charge. The incident wave accelerates the charge, whose radiation constitutes the scattered field.
Classical electrodynamics: The theory of electric and magnetic fields and their interactions with charges and currents. Thomson scattering follows from its equations for an accelerated charge and emitted radiation.
Thomson scattering diagnostics: Measurements that infer plasma properties from light scattered by free electrons. Scattered-light spectra and intensity reveal electron density and temperature in plasmas.
J. J. Thomson: The physicist who discovered the electron and developed early models of atomic structure. The scattering process bears his name and rests on treating the electron as a classical charge.
Thomson cross section: The effective area describing the probability of Thomson scattering by a free charged particle. It quantifies the scattering strength derived from the classical radiation pattern.
Lorentz force: The force on a charged particle due to electric and magnetic fields. The incident electromagnetic field drives the particle's motion through this force.
Solar corona: The Sun's outer atmosphere, visible as a faint halo during a total solar eclipse. Free coronal electrons scatter sunlight, producing the corona's white-light component.
Hendrik Lorentz: The Dutch physicist whose electron theory connected charged-particle motion with electromagnetic radiation. His classical electron framework helped establish the scattering calculation.
Differential cross section: A cross section per unit solid angle describing how scattering varies with direction. Thomson scattering has a characteristic angular distribution rather than equal intensity in every direction.
Electromagnetic radiation: Energy carried through space by oscillating electric and magnetic fields. The incident wave and the scattered wave are both electromagnetic radiation.

Linked from 14 pages