The Maxwellian Averaged Cross Section

[parazit]

Hi,

Please forgive my ignorance but, can somebody please explain the Maxwellian Averaged Cross Section briefly and basically?

Thank you in advance.

 

[MathematicalPhysicist]

What don't you understand?
The equation defining this term is straightforward.

 

[mathman]

Cross sections are dependent on the energy of the particle in question. When dealing with a collection of particles at different energies, it is useful to get one number for the collection. This is done by averaging the cross sections over the energy distribution (Maxwellian) of the particles

 

[parazit]

Cross sections are dependent on the energy of the particle in question. When dealing with a collection of particles at different energies, it is useful to get one number for the collection. This is done by averaging the cross sections over the energy distribution (Maxwellian) of the particles

Thank you for your reply. So, there is nothing special. It is just the avarage of the cross sections over the energy.

 

[mathman]

The average, weighted by the Maxwell distribution.