Gas with a non-Maxwellian velocity distribution

Abstract

The velocity distribution of a monatomic gas in a very strong magnetic field (e.g., ${10}^{7}$ T) is computed two ways: with classical statistical mechanics and with rarified-gas kinetic theory. The same non-Maxwellian distribution is found in both cases. This anomaly arises from the saturation of the electrical polarization of the atoms by the enormous electric fields which they see when moving.