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research article
Ionisation equilibrium in the electron-proton gas
Using Fefferman's analysis of the quantum electron-proton gas, we give a rigorous proof of ionization equilibrium in this system. Ionization equilibrium phases are obtained as low-density and low-temperature limits, letting the chemical potentialmgr(T) approach the ground-state energy of the hydrogen atom as the temperatureT tends to zero. The rate of ionization is determined by the slope ofmgr(T) atT=0 and is correctly given by the Saha formula. We also discuss a simpler model where a single quantum particle interacts with a classical gas of hard spheres.
Type
research article
Authors
Publication date
1990
Published in
Volume
60
Issue
5-6
Start page
619
End page
637
Peer reviewed
REVIEWED
EPFL units
Available on Infoscience
November 27, 2006
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