= Minority carrier lifetime
{title2=$\partial_t\Delta n=-\Delta n/\tau$}
In a weak-injection regime where the majority population is nearly fixed, a small excess minority <charge carrier> population often relaxes exponentially with time constant $\tau$. This lifetime describes carrier removal by recombination. It differs from the <momentum relaxation time> governing <charge carrier mobility>: many momentum-scattering events can occur before a carrier recombines. Traps and spatial transport can make a single exponential inadequate.
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