The impact parameter b is defined as the perpendicular distance between the velocity of a projectile and the center of the field U(r) created by an object that the projectile is approaching (see diagram). It is often referred to in Nuclear Physics (see Rutherford Scattering), as well as in Classical Mechanics.
The impact parameter is related to the scattering angle θ by[1]
where 
is the velocity of the projectile when it is far from the center, and rmin is its closest distance from the center.
See also
References
- ^ Landau LD and Lifshitz EM (1976) Mechanics, 3rd. ed., Pergamon Press. ISBN 0-08-021022-8 (hardcover) and ISBN 0-08-029141-4 (softcover).
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