Friction Force in Strongly Magnetized Plasmas

TL;DR

This paper confirms through simulations that in strongly magnetized plasmas, the friction force on a moving charged particle has a significant transverse component, affecting particle dynamics and transport.

Contribution

It provides the first simulation-based confirmation of the predicted transverse friction component in strongly magnetized plasmas.

Findings

Transverse friction component increases with plasma coupling strength.

Simulation results match recent theoretical predictions.

Impacts particle motion and transport in magnetized plasma applications.

Abstract

A charged particle moving through a plasma experiences a friction force that commonly acts antiparallel to its velocity. It was recently predicted that in strongly magnetized plasmas, in which the plasma particle gyro-frequency exceeds the plasma frequency, the friction also includes a transverse component that is perpendicular to both the velocity and Lorentz force. Here, this prediction is confirmed using molecular dynamics simulations, and it is shown that the relative magnitude of the transverse component increases with plasma coupling strength. This result influences single particle motion and macroscopic transport in strongly magnetized plasmas found in a broad range of applications.