Plasma hydrodynamics from mean force kinetic theory

TL;DR

This paper applies mean force kinetic theory to evaluate transport properties of dense ion-electron plasmas, demonstrating good agreement with molecular dynamics simulations up to high Coulomb coupling strengths, thus extending plasma hydrodynamics.

Contribution

It introduces the use of mean force kinetic theory for dense plasma transport properties, surpassing traditional theories at high coupling strengths.

Findings

Good agreement with molecular dynamics up to $\Gamma \\approx 20$

Extends validity of hydrodynamics to denser plasmas

Demonstrates mean force kinetic theory's effectiveness for plasma modeling

Abstract

Mean force kinetic theory is used to evaluate the electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, electrothermal coefficient, thermoelectric coefficient, and shear viscosity of a two-component (ion-electron) plasma. Results are compared with molecular dynamics simulations. These simulations are made possible by assuming a repulsive Coulomb force for all interactions. Good agreement is found for all coefficients up to a Coulomb coupling strength of $\Gamma \approx 20$. This is over 100-times larger than the coupling strength at which traditional theories break down. It is concluded that mean force kinetic theory provides a means to extend hydrodynamics to dense plasmas.