Abstract
The question of the correct choice of the Coulomb logarithm has been considered. N-body experiments with two-component systems having 200, 400, and 800 heavy particles and 200 and 400 light particles have been carried out with different softening lengths in the interparticle forces. The rate of relaxation was estimated directly from the summed squared energy change of light particles per unit time. Both in magnitude and in N-dependence, the value of the upper limit on impact parameters bmax inferred from the relaxation rate is more nearly consistent with the prediction of Chandrasekhar and of Kandrup (RN exp -1/3) than that of Cohen et al. (1950). The earlier work of Farouki and Salpeter (1982), in which the contrary result was obtained, is shown to be seriously flawed.
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