A hydrodynamical model for relativistic spin quantum plasmas

Journal Article · Sat Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 2011 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3533448· OSTI ID:21532160

Asenjo, Felipe A ^[1]; Munoz, Victor; Valdivia, J Alejandro ^[1]; Mahajan, Swadesh M ^[2]

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1. Departamento de Fisica, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 653, 7800024 Santiago (Chile)
2. Institute for Fusion Studies, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712 (United States)

Based on the one-body particle-antiparticle Dirac theory of electrons, a set of relativistic quantum fluid equations for a spin half plasma is derived. The particle-antiparticle nature of the relativistic particles is explicit in this fluid theory, which also includes quantum effects such as spin. The nonrelativistic limit is shown to be in agreement with previous attempts to develop a spin plasma theory derived from the Pauli Hamiltonian. Harnessing the formalism to the study of electromagnetic mode propagation, conceptually new phenomena are revealed; the particle-antiparticle effects increase the fluid opacity to these waves, while the spin effects tend to make the fluid more transparent.

• OSTI ID: 21532160
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3533448; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
HYDRODYNAMIC MODEL
QUANTUM FLUIDS
QUANTUM PLASMA
FLUIDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PARTICLE MODELS
PLASMA
RADIATIONS
STATISTICAL MODELS
THERMODYNAMIC MODEL