An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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The act or process of colliding, → collide.

Verbal noun from → collide .

Of or relating to → collision.

→ collision; → -al.

Same as → cross section.

→ collisional; → cross; → section.

The process when the energy difference between the excited and non excited states of an atom is taken away by an electron during a collision.

→ collisional; → decay.

A physical process which is caused by the free electrons that are energized either by → photoionization or → collisional ionization. Collisional excitation puts ions, atoms, and molecules into excited states from which they may decay radiatively. Collisional excitation is important in the → interstellar medium.

→ collisional; → excitation.

A physical process whereby heat is imparted to (e.g. → interstellar dust grains or → molecular hydrogen) through collisions (with hot electrons, ions, etc.).

→ collisional; → heating.

An → ionization resulting from a → collision.

→ collisional; → ionization.

A plasma in which the → mean free path of the → charged particles between two → collisions is much smaller than the size of the system containing the plasma.

→ collisional; → plasma.

Same as the → Landau damping.

→ collision; → -less; → damping.

A particle → collision where the dominant force is described by → Coulomb's law. The collision results in deflections of the particles away from their initial paths.

→ coulomb; → collision.

A collision between two particles which conserves the total kinetic energy and momentum of the system.

→ elastic; → collision.

A collision between bodies in which there is a loss of total kinetic energy.

→ inelastic; → collision.

A plasma in which the → mean free path of the charged particles between two collisions is much larger than the size of the system containing the plasma.

→ non-; → collisional; → plasma.

A collision between charged particles in which part of the kinetic energy is converted into electromagnetic radiation.

→ radiative; → collision.