Cross-Section for Interaction of Relativistic Neutronium Cable With Atoms

My initial reaction is to say 'no'. Relativistic contraction occurs in the direction of motion; I don't see why this would significantly reduce the cross-section for interaction.

However, there may be a second-order effect involving particles moving at high speeds with a velocity component orthogonal to the direction of the line. In which case any decrease in interaction probability is probably equivalent to the difference in cross-section between a circle and an ellipse where the major axis of the ellipse is equal to the non-relativistic diameter of the line, but the minor axis is equal to the contracted diameter due to its velocity.

Have you considered this?

Also, when you refer to 'Keplerian velocities' I assume you mean non-relativistic. 'Keplerian velocities' is an odd, non-standard term.

Hi Usbport; Thanks for the reply. Anybody else have any feedback. I am aware that the deBroglie wavelength of a particle scales inversely with particle energy for relativistic particles. It seems to me that since the wavelength of the particle will be decreased by a factor of 50 with respect to the grid, the likelyhood of the particle contacting the grid would be reduced 50 fold. It seems to me that the deBroglie wavelength is not an analogue of the dimensions of a macroscopic body along directions orthogonal to the velocity vector and thus that the argument given by Usbport is incorrect. I am assuming that the deBroglie wavelength is a quantum mechanical property and is analogous to electromagnetic wavelength. I am also aware that the wavelength of light with respect to the grid would be contracted by 100 fold for light that is parallel to the grid velocity vector. In cases where the light has a background reference frame wavelength of 10 femtometers, the probability for a given electromagnetic photon striking the grid line would be reduced by 50 fold.

Jorrie, can you weigh in on this.

Regards; Jim

It's been a long time since I seriously thought about this kind of stuff. After I got my MS in Physics I found work as an optics engineer and that's mainly what I've done for a career for the past 25+ years.

This being primarily a website for engineering (though we do discuss various aspects of Physics now and then) you might find a wider group of people with whom to discuss your ideas at one of the websites found via this link:

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/Administrivia/newsgroups.html

Hi Usbport

Thanks for providing me with the correct answer. I received the same answer to my question that you provided when I asked the professor of the Classical Electrodynamics course I took several years ago.

Thanks again:

Jim