Relaxation of bound electrons in elastic collisions with infinitely heavy particles

The recombination relaxation of bound electrons in collisions with infinitely rigid, infinitely heavy spheres is considered. The relaxation mechanism is due to a change in the electron scattering from the spheres. The distribution functions of bound electrons and the recombination time due to that mechanism are obtained. The characteristics of the relaxation are the same as for the Thompson recombination mechanism (caused by energy transfer from the electron to a third particle) to within replacement of the mass of the third particle by the ion mass.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 4, pp. 48–53, April, 1996.