On the Klimontovich description of complex (dusty) plasmas

TL;DR

This paper reviews the Klimontovich approach to complex dusty plasmas, discussing idealizations, comparing two main methods, and analyzing differences in dust plasma equations to clarify theoretical descriptions.

Contribution

It provides a detailed pedagogical comparison of the two main Klimontovich descriptions of dusty plasmas and analyzes the origins of differences in dust plasma equations.

Findings

The plasma Klimontovich equations are identical.

Differences in dust Klimontovich equations are rooted in their derivation.

The continuous phase space approximation links the two approaches.

Abstract

The numerous idealizations that are involved in the exact microscopic statistical description of complex (dusty) plasmas are discussed in detail. The two prevailing approaches in the Klimontovich description of dusty plasmas are reviewed in a pedagogical manner. The continuous phase space approximation is introduced, within which the more rigorous treatment should collapse to the more heuristic treatment. The plasma Klimontovich equations are shown to be identical, but there are marked differences in the dust Klimontovich equations whose origin is analyzed in depth.