Nonlocal transport and dissipation properties of electrons in inhomogeneous plasmas

The spatial evolution of the electron component in a neon plasma is investigated under the action of spatially inhomogeneous electric fields. In the center of the studies are those macroscopic quantities which describe the transport and the dissipation of power and momentum of the electrons. These quantities are determined from the velocity distribution function of the electrons obtained by the solution of the spatially inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation. Both a spatially limited disturbance of the field as well as a strongly modulated periodic field typical of s striations are considered. Moreover, the results of the strict kinetic treatment are compared with the corresponding ones obtained by the so-called local field approximation which corresponds to a hydrodynamic description of the electron component assuming a local compensation of power and momentum gain by the respective loss processes. The large deviation of both results from each other confirms the strongly nonlocal character of the electron transport and dissipation coefficients under the plasma conditions considered.