Question

I am a scientist not specialized in plasma physics who has little knowledge in transport phenomena. Please, what are the mechanisms responsible for dissipation in collisionless and collisional fully ionised plasmas?

Answer 1

In collisionless fully ionized plasmas, dissipation occurs through collisions, converting kinetic energy into thermal energy. In collisional fully ionized plasmas, dissipation occurs through collisions, converting kinetic energy into ionization energy. The rate of ionization depends on the plasma's temperature.

Step-by-step explanation:

In collisionless fully ionized plasmas, dissipation occurs primarily through collisions between charged particles, which lead to the conversion of kinetic energy into thermal energy. These collisions cause the charged particles to lose their potential energy, resulting in an increase in temperature. The energy is eventually dissipated as radiation. On the other hand, in collisional fully ionized plasmas, dissipation occurs mainly through collisions between the charged particles and other particles in the plasma, such as electrons, ions, or atoms. This collisional ionization process leads to the conversion of the kinetic energy of the particles into ionization energy, causing the plasma to become more ionized. The rate of collisional ionization depends on the temperature of the plasma, with higher temperatures resulting in more ionization.