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physical property > magnetic property > magnetic rigidity

Preferred term

magnetic rigidity  

Definition

  • In plasma physics, a quantity that describes the resistance of a charged particle to change its direction of motion under the influence of a perpendicular magnetic field. Rigidity is defined as: R = r_LBc = (pc)/(Ze), where r_L is the Larmor radius, B is magnetic induction, c is the speed of light, p is the momentum of the particle, Z is atomic number, and e the electron charge. Since pc has the dimensions of energy and e the dimensions of charge, rigidity has the dimensions of volts (a 10 GeV proton has a rigidity of 10 GV). In cosmic ray studies, the energies of cosmic rays are often quoted in terms of their rigidities, rather than their energies per nucleon. (An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics, by M. Heydari-Malayeri, https://dictionary.obspm.fr/index.php?formSearchTextfield=magnetic+rigidity&formSubmit=Search&showAll=1)

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http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/MDL-GJ3JT5HR-R

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