Linear theory of nonlocal transport in a magnetized plasma

Abstract

A system of nonlocal electron-transport equations for small perturbations in a magnetized plasma is derived using the systematic closure procedure of V. Yu. Bychenkov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 75, 4405 (1995). Solution to the linearized kinetic equation with a Landau collision operator is obtained in the diffusive approximation. The Fourier components of the longitudinal, oblique, and transversal electron fluxes are found in an explicit form for quasistatic conditions in terms of the generalized forces: the gradients of density and temperature, and the electric field. The full set of nonlocal transport coefficients is given and discussed. Nonlocality of transport enhances electron fluxes across magnetic field above the values given by strongly collisional local theory. Dispersion and damping of magnetohydrodynamic waves in weakly collisional plasmas is discussed. Nonlocal transport theory is applied to the problem of temperature relaxation across the magnetic field in a laser hot spot.