Exact linearized Coulomb collision operator in the moment expansion

Journal Article · Sun Oct 15 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2356320· OSTI ID:20860282

Ji, Jeong-Young; Held, Eric D ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322 (United States)

In the moment expansion, the Rosenbluth potentials, the linearized Coulomb collision operators, and the moments of the collision operators are analytically calculated for any moment. The explicit calculation of Rosenbluth potentials converts the integro-differential form of the Coulomb collision operator into a differential operator, which enables one to express the collision operator in a simple closed form for any arbitrary mass and temperature ratios. In addition, it is shown that gyrophase averaging the collision operator acting on arbitrary distribution functions is the same as the collision operator acting on the corresponding gyrophase averaged distribution functions. The moments of the collision operator are linear combinations of the fluid moments with collision coefficients parametrized by mass and temperature ratios. Useful forms involving the small mass-ratio approximation are easily found since the collision operators and their moments are expressed in terms of the mass ratio. As an application, the general moment equations are explicitly written and the higher order heat flux equation is derived.

• OSTI ID: 20860282
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Journal Name: Physics of Plasmas Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 13; ISSN PHPAEN; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
APPROXIMATIONS
DISTRIBUTION FUNCTIONS
ELECTRON COLLISIONS
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
FLUIDS
HEAT FLUX
INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ION COLLISIONS
ION TEMPERATURE
MASS
PLASMA
PLASMA EXPANSION
POTENTIALS
RADIATION TRANSPORT