Self-consistent chemical model of partially ionized plasmas

Journal Article · Sat Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics (Print)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVE.83.016405· OSTI ID:21560007

Arkhipov, Yu V; Baimbetov, F B; Davletov, A E ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Kazakh National University, Tole Bi 96, Almaty 050012 (Kazakhstan)

A simple renormalization theory of plasma particle interactions is proposed. It primarily stems from generic properties of equilibrium distribution functions and allows one to obtain the so-called generalized Poisson-Boltzmann equation for an effective interaction potential of two chosen particles in the presence of a third one. The same equation is then strictly derived from the Bogolyubov-Born-Green-Kirkwood-Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy for equilibrium distribution functions in the pair correlation approximation. This enables one to construct a self-consistent chemical model of partially ionized plasmas, correctly accounting for the close interrelation of charged and neutral components thereof. Minimization of the system free energy provides ionization equilibrium and, thus, permits one to study the plasma composition in a wide range of its parameters. Unlike standard chemical models, the proposed one allows one to study the system correlation functions and thereby to obtain an equation of state which agrees well with exact results of quantum-mechanical activity expansions. It is shown that the plasma and neutral components are strongly interrelated, which results in the short-range order formation in the corresponding subsystem. The mathematical form of the results obtained enables one to both firmly establish this fact and to determine a characteristic length of the structure formation. Since the cornerstone of the proposed self-consistent chemical model of partially ionized plasmas is an effective pairwise interaction potential, it immediately provides quite an efficient calculation scheme not only for thermodynamical functions but for transport coefficients as well.

• OSTI ID: 21560007
• Journal Information: Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics (Print), Vol. 83, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.83.016405; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1539-3755
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
BBGKY EQUATION
BOLTZMANN EQUATION
CHEMICAL STATE
CORRELATION FUNCTIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
EQUATIONS OF STATE
EQUILIBRIUM
FREE ENERGY
IONIZATION
PARTICLE INTERACTIONS
PLASMA
QUANTUM MECHANICS
RENORMALIZATION
THERMODYNAMICS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ENERGY
EQUATIONS
FUNCTIONS
INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
INTERACTIONS
KINETIC EQUATIONS
MECHANICS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES