• Radiative Transfer Reconsidered as a Quantum Kinetic Theory Problem

• # Fulltext

https://www.ias.ac.in/article/fulltext/joaa/036/04/0605-0611

• # Keywords

Radiative transfer; quantum kinetic theory; anomalous dispersion.

• # Abstract

We revisit the radiative transfer theory from first principles approach, inspired from quantum kinetic theory. The radiation field is described within the second quantization formalism. A master equation for the radiation density operator is derived and transformed into a balance relation in the phase space, which involves nonlocal terms owing to radiation coherence. In a perturbative framework, we focus on the lowest order term in $\hbar$-expansion and show that the radiation coherence results in an alteration of the photon group velocity. An application to the formation of hydrogen lines in stellar atmospheres is performed as an illustration.

• # Author Affiliations

1. Aix-Marseille Université, CNRS, PIIM UMR 7345, F-13397 Marseille Cedex 20, France.

• # Journal of Astrophysics and Astronomy

Volume 41, 2020
All articles
Continuous Article Publishing mode

• # Continuous Article Publication

Posted on January 27, 2016

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• # Editorial Note on Continuous Article Publication

Posted on July 25, 2019