Collision frequency and mean free path for plasmas described by kappa distributions

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Abstract

The paper shows the surprising result of the universality of the mean-free-path formulation for plasmas described by kappa distributions. In particular, the ratio of the mean-free-path over the Debye length depends only on the Debye number - the number of particles within the Debye length scale. The derived formula appears to be identical for the cases of Maxwell-Boltzmann and kappa distributed plasmas; thus, it is not explicitly depended on kappa - the parameter that labels and governs the kappa distributions. The key aspect of these results is the specific functional dependence of the mean-free-path on the polytropic index; this is inextricably linked to the dependence of the Debye length on the polytropic index. The importance of the dependence of the mean-free-path on the polytropic index is demonstrated with applications in the solar wind plasma.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number105307
JournalAIP Advances
Volume9
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2019
Externally publishedYes

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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