Abstract
We use the linearized Boltzmann equation to discuss the time dependence of atomic collision cascades. The atoms are presumed to interact via a power-law potential, the power being denoted (-2/a). We wish to ascertain whether the equation, and/or certain special solutions, show striking changes in behavior at certain special values of a. We find a value of a which distinguishes energy-conserving cascades from anomalous cascades, and another which signals the failure of the linear approximation. Scaling, and also the emergence of similarity solutions, are discussed.