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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2017
Recent numerical simulations for 1-dimensional systems have shown that the relaxation time due to encounters is far shorter than the generally accepted estimate. To account for this, a new approach to the theory is necessary. The analysis of encounters presented here is characterized by the retention of periodic trajectories in the mean field. The kinetic equation obtained yields a relaxation time scale in qualitative agreement with the simulations. The analysis can be extended to the 3-dimensional case, and preliminary results predict here also a reduction of the relaxation time.