Hydrodynamic derivation of double layers (DL) and electric fields in plasmas

Abstract

The hitherto successful hydrodynamic plasma theory needed the simplifying assumption of quasi-neutrality. Earlier known ambipolar fields in plasma surfaces were considered as exceptions and Alfvén's model of a complementary description by plasma currents was criticized. Fields in plasmas were derived from the kinetic theory of turbulence. Following a model for the nonlinear force of laser–plasma interaction, we needed a general description of the plasma without space charge neutrality which succeeded numerically and analytically. High electric fields due to inhomogeneities inside plasmas were derived explaining for the first time quantitatively the reduction of thermal conduction in laser-fusion, the measured inverted double layers including a new type of resonance process, the MeV α-upshift by nonlinear-force driven caviton fields and the radial fields in tokamaks which cause plasma rotation.