Effects of energy loss on interaction dynamics of energetic electrons with plasmas

An analytic model is developed for energetic electrons interacting with plasmas. This model rigorously treats the effects of energy loss upon Coulomb interactions and reveals several important features, including the coupling of scattering and energy loss--which previous calculations had erroneously treated as independent in cases where an electron lost a significant amount (or all) of its energy. The unique transparency and generality of these calculations allows for straightforward applications when quantitatively evaluating the energy deposition of energetic electrons in various plasmas, including those in inertial confinement fusion.