Sources
Help build the largest human-edited directory on the web.
Submit a site - Become an editor
Wikipedia. Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Are you an expert in this subject? Join the discussion and share your knowledge at Wikipedia.org.
Relativistic particle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A relativistic particle is a particle which moves with a relativistic speed; that is, a speed closely comparable to the speed of light. This is achieved by photons to the extent that effects described by special relativity are able to describe those of such particles themselves. Several approaches exist as a means of describing the motion of single and multiple relativistic particles, with a prominent example being postulations through dirac equations of single particle motion.
Massive particles are relativistic when their kinetic energy is comparable or greater than the energy mc2 corresponding to their rest mass. (This condition implies that their speed is close to the speed of light.) Such relativistic particles are generated in particle accelerators, and are naturally occurring in cosmic radiation. In astrophysics, jets of relativistic plasma are produced by the centers of active galaxies and quasars.
A charged relativistic particle crossing the interface of two media with different dielectric constants emits transition radiation. This is exploited in the transition radiation detectors of high-velocity particles.
- Special relativity
- Relativistic wave equations
- Lorentz factor
- Relativistic mass
- Relativistic plasma
- Relativistic jet
- Relativistic beaming
 |
This physics-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |