Velocity-shell identity for dynamical friction
ID: velocity-shell-identity-for-dynamical-friction
For an isotropic, integrable background phase-space distribution function, rotational symmetry makes the integral radial in velocity space. Its divergence with respect to is by the Dirac delta identity for the divergence of the inverse-square vector field. Integrating over a velocity-space sphere and using the divergence theorem proves the displayed identity. Exterior velocity shells have zero contribution, just as in the spherical shell theorem. This explains why the leading-log Chandrasekhar dynamical friction integral contains only particles slower than the test body.
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