Correlation functions of weakly inhomogeneous plasma

Abstract

This article focuses on the kinetic theory of inhomogeneous plasma and explores the interaction between a high-frequency electric field and weakly inhomogeneous plasma. Particularly, it examines the impact of an external variable field on the kinetic and high-frequency properties of the plasma, including kinetic equations, correlation functions, and distribution functions of charged particles. The study derives expressions for the pair (two-particle) correlation function and the corresponding distribution function, taking into account the spatial inhomogeneity of the plasma and electric field, as well as the collisions between charged particles. The results were obtained using the kinetic equation for the spatial-temporal spectral density of fluctuations and the method of successive approximations (separation of slow motions and fast oscillations). The field amplitude is considered a slowly varying function of time and coordinates. The calculations neglect the contribution of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic field, which is applicable to longitudinal electric fields. The results obtained in this article are primarily of theoretical interest, they reveal the picture of the interaction of a weakly inhomogeneous plasma with a high-frequency electric field and can be used in the construction of a kinetic theory of an inhomogeneous plasma located in high-frequency electromagnetic fields. Note that for charged particles of the same sign, the correlation function is negative, and for particles of different signs it is positive. In addition, the correlation function is exponentially small when the distance between the particles is greater than the Debye radius. In all calculations, the contribution of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic field is neglected, which is quite true for the longitudinal electric field.