darkhistory.physics.elec_heating_engloss_rate

darkhistory.physics.elec_heating_engloss_rate(eng, xe, rs, method='old', Te=0)

Electron energy loss rate of electrons due to Coulomb heating in eV s^-1.

Parameters:

eng : ndarray

Abscissa of electron kinetic energy.

xe : float

The free electron fraction.

rs : float

The redshift.

method : {‘old’, ‘MEDEA’, ‘new’}

if method == ‘old’, see Shull, Astrophysical Journal, 234:761-764, 1979 December 1; if method == ‘MEDEA’, we follow the method used in the MEDEA code, which is the ‘old’ method; if method == ‘new’, nothing yet

Returns:

ndarray

The energy loss rate due to heating (positive).

Notes

See 0910.4410 for the expression. The units are orinally from Spitzer’s 1962 textbook, cgs-emu, so that e^2/r is in units of energy (statcoulombs), so to convert to SI, we insert 1/(4*pi*eps_0)^2 and use that e^2/(4*pi*eps_0) = alpha