Creating functionality for calculating relativistic plasma parameters

[namurphy]

Most of the plasma parameters that we come across are non-relativistic. However, relativistic plasmas that are often of interest to our community. Eventually, we should come up with some functionality so that people can calculate and/or work with quantities like the relativistic Alfven speeds, and so on. It's been a while since I've thought about relativity so I'm not sure what the best way to do this is.

I found a few resources that might be useful (though I didn't look into them much):

• Chapter 6 of Relativistic Kinetic Theory by Gregory Vereschchagin is on basic parameters in relativistic gases and plasmas.
• Black Hole Gravitohydromagnetics by Brian Punsley has a chapter on relativistic plasma physics
• Relativistic Fluids and Magneto-fluids: With Applications in Astrophysics and Plasma Physics by A. M. Anile

[lemmatum]

It'd be important to list the different types of relativistic effects we want to account for. For example

• relativistic velocities
• relativistic transparency effects for EM waves
• relativistic intensities driving pair production
• Energy transfers large enough to perturb the rest mass of an electron (i.e., x-ray scattering)
• Thermal/kinetic energy on the order of electron rest mass