  This work presents a novel derivation of the expressions that describe the
distortions of the cosmic microwave background curve due to the interactions
between photons and the electrons present in dilute ionized systems. In this
approach, a simplified one-dimensional evolution equation for the photon number
occupation is applied to describe the mentioned interaction. This methodology
emphasizes the physical features of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect and suggests
the existence of links between basic statistical physics and complex
applications involving radiative processes.
