Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The observed Maxwellian velocity distribution functions in plasmas and the fact that the rate of elastic electron-electron collisions is many orders of magnitude smaller than the electron plasma frequency have been a long-standing puzzle. Here, we present a mechanism for efficient thermalization in collision-poor unmagnetized plasmas, which resolves this puzzle. The competition between the momentum losses of plasma particles by spontaneously emitting high-frequency non-collective fluctuations and the momentum diffusion of these particles in their self-generated fluctuating electric field fluctuations provides the Maxwellian particle distribution function. The mechanism is self-regulating, providing electron temperatures of about 10^{7}K, and it is applicable to fully ionized plasmas with electron densities below 10^{27}cm^{-3}.
Source: Physical review. E
DOI: 10.1103/p4xz-8ltl
Authors: R. Schlickeiser, M. Kröger
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4413453221