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On the relaxation of non-thermal plasmas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 March 2009

A. D. McGowan  and
J. J. Sanderson
A. D. McGowan
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, Scotland
J. J. Sanderson
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9SS, Scotland
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Abstract

The collisional relaxation of various plasma distributions that are initially far removed from thermal equilibrium is investigated numerically using a Fokker–Planck code. It is shown that self-similar and kappa distributions do not remain self-similar or kappa, and that this is due to the velocity dependence of the effective collision frequency. For the relaxation of an isotropic two temperature plasma it is shown that a constant-temperature three-component distribution function is a plausible model for analytical calculations. Investigation of the relaxation of bi-Maxwellian plasmas resolves some discrepancies that have arisen from earlier studies.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Plasma Physics , Volume 47 , Issue 3 , June 1992 , pp. 373 - 387
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

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