Abstract
We argue that dynamical friction can be viewed as the drag exerted on a ‘test’ star by the wake it induces in the field stars. We compute the wakes for the uniform infinite medium and a flat rotating sheet. In the first case we obtain a result which differs by a factor of two from the classical result. In the second case the drag vanishes.
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© 1972 D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland
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Kalnajs, A.J. (1972). Polarization Clouds and Dynamical Friction. In: Lecar, M. (eds) Gravitational N-Body Problem. Astrophysics and Space Science Library, vol 31. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2870-7_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-2870-7_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-010-2872-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-010-2870-7
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