Kinetics of weakly collisional plasma

Under conditions which are usually associated with collisionless plasma, and in which the mean free path of charged particles considerably exceeds the characteristic size of the spatial inhomogeneities involved, plasmas always contain slow particles whose mean free path proportional to the fourth power of their velocity is less than the inhomogeneity scale. Although relatively few in number, these subthermal particles play a dominant role in such ’weakly collisional’ plasmas. In this paper, the results of the analytical kinetic theory of plasma are discussed, which highlight the determining role slow collisional particles play in such plasma phenomena as ion-acoustic wave damping and nonlinear electron-density perturbations due to the inhomogeneous intensity of the plasma-heating electromagnetic field. It is shown that by affecting these plasma properties the subthermal electrons correspondingly make an impact on parametric instabilities such as plasma radiation filamentation and stimulated Mandelstam-Brillouin scattering. Theoretical predictions are compared with numerical solutions of the Boltzmann equation. The concept of nonlocal plasma transfer processes, attracted to the interpretation of such solutions, is also discussed.

PACS: 52.20.Hv, 52.35.Fp, 52.38.Bv (all)
DOI: 10.1070/PU2002v045n09ABEH001147
URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2002/9/b/
Web of Science

000180542700002
Citation: Silin V P "Kinetics of weakly collisional plasma" Phys. Usp. 45 955–976 (2002)

BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks

Оригинал: Силин В П «Кинетика слабостолкновительной плазмы» УФН 172 1021–1044 (2002); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0172.200209b.1021

References (53) Cited by (15) Similar articles (20) ↓

A.A. Rukhadze, V.P. Silin “Kinetic theory of drift-dissipative instabilities of a plasma” 11 659–677 (1969)
A.V. Gurevich “Nonlinear effects in the ionosphere” 50 1091–1121 (2007)
A.A. Rukhadze, V.P. Silin “Linear electromagnetic phenomena in a plasma” 5 37–52 (1962)
Yu.L. Klimontovich, V.P. Silin “The spectra of systems of interacting particles and collective energy losses during passage of charged particles through matter” 3 84–114 (1960)
L.M. Gorbunov “Hydrodynamics of plasma in a strong high-frequency field” 16 217–235 (1973)
Yu.F. Bydin, Yu.N. Demkov “Electron energy spectrum in low-energy collisions of negative ions and atoms” 25 453–474 (1982)
V.P. Silin “Absorption of radiation by turbulent laser plasmas” 28 136–152 (1985)
V.P. Silin “Anomalous nonlinear dissipation of high-frequency radio waves in plasma” 15 742–758 (1973)
V.N. Tsytovich “Nonlinear effects in a plasma” 9 805–836 (1967)
V.E. Golant “Diffusion of charged particles in a plasma in a magnetic field” 6 161–197 (1963)
V.L. Ginzburg, A.V. Gurevich “Nonlinear phenomena in a Plasma located in an alternating electromagnetic field” 3 115–146 (1960)
I.I. Metelskii, V.F. Kovalev, V.Yu. Bychenkov “Relativistically nonlinear resonant absorption and harmonic generation of electromagnetic radiation in an inhomogeneous plasma”, accepted
A.R. Aramyan, G.A. Galechyan “Vortices in a gas-discharge plasma” 50 1147–1169 (2007)
S.A. Kazantsev “Astrophysical and laboratory applications of self-alignment” 26 328–351 (1983)
L.P. Presnyakov “X-ray spectroscopy of high-temperature plasma” 19 387–399 (1976)
A.V. Timofeev “Cyclotron oscillations of plasma in an inhomogeneous magnetic field” 16 445–458 (1974)
L.M. Biberman, V.S. Vorob’ev, I.T. Yakubov “Kinetics of impact-radiation ionization and recombination” 15 375–394 (1973)
L.M. Biberman, A.Kh. Mnatsakanyan, I.T. Yakubov “Ionization relaxation behind strong shock waves in gases” 13 728–744 (1971)
B.B. Kadomtsev “Landau damping and echo in a plasma” 11 328–337 (1968)
B.B. Kadomtsev “Plasma instability and controlled thermonuclear reactions” 10 127–130 (1967)

The list is formed automatically.