Chapter 2. Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation Chapter 2.

Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation

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Topics or concepts to learn in Chapter 2: 1. The microscopic plasma distribution: the Klimontovich equation 2. The statistic plasma distribution: the Boltzmann equation and the Vlasov equation

Suggested Reading: (1) Chapter 3 in Nicholson (1983)

2.1. Klimontovich Equation Let us define a microscopic distribution function of the ! th species in the six-dimensional phase space

N! (x, v, t ) = $ " [ x # x k (t )]" [ v # v k (t )]

k =1

N0

(2.1)

where x k (t ) and vk ( t) satisfy the following equations of motion

d x k (t) = v k (t ) dt

(2.2) (2.3)

d v k (t ) e! = {E m [ x k (t ), t ] + v k (t ) " B m [ x k (t ), t ]} dt m!

in which E m (x, t ) and B m (x, t ) are the microscopic electric field and magnetic field, respectively. of N! (x, v, t) . Taking time derivative of Eq. (2.1) and making use of Eqs. (2.2)~(2.3) and The Klimontovich equation can be obtained by evaluating the time derivative

a! (a " b ) = b! (a " b ) , it yields

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Chapter 2. Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation

! N" (x, v, t ) ! N0 = % # [ x $ x k (t )]# [ v $ v k (t )] !t ! t k =1

= %{
k =1 N0 N0 N0 ! ! # [ x $ x k (t )]}# [ v $ v k (t )] + % # [ x $ x k (t )]{ # [ v $ v k (t )]} !t !t k =1 N0 !# [ x $ x k (t )] d x (t ) !# [ v $ v k (t )] d v (t ) & [ $ k ]}# [ v $ v k (t )] + % # [ x $ x k (t )]{ & [ $ k ]} !x dt !v dt k =1

= %{
k =1 N0

= % # [ v $ v k (t )][ $ v k (t )] &
k =1

! # [ x $ x k (t )] !x

+ % # [ x $ x k (t )][ $
k =1 N0

N0

e" ! {E m [ x k (t ), t ] + v k (t ) ' B m [ x k (t ), t ]}] & # [ v $ v k (t )] m" !v

= % # [ v $ v k (t )][ $ v ] &
k =1

! # [ x $ x k (t )] !x

+ % # [ x $ x k (t )]($
k =1

N0

e" ! )[ E m (x, t ) + v ' B m (x, t )] & # [ v $ v k (t )] m" !v

= [$ v ] & + ($ = $v &
or

! N0 % {# [x $ x k (t )]# [v $ v k (t )]} ! x k =1

e" ! N0 )[ E m (x, t ) + v ' B m (x, t )] & % {# [x $ x k (t )]# [v $ v k (t )]} m" ! v k =1

! N" (x, v, t ) e" m ! N" (x, v, t ) $ [ E (x, t ) + v ' B m (x, t )] & !x m" !v

! N" (x, v, t ) ! N" (x, v, t ) e" m ! N" (x, v, t ) +v# + [ E (x, t ) + v $ B m (x, t )] # =0 !t !x m" !v

(2.4)

Eq. (2.4) is the Klimontovich equation of the microscopic distribution function N! (x, v, t) . Exercise 2.1 Show that

! !" [ x # x k (t )] d x (t ) " [ x # x k (t )] = $ [# k ] !t !x dt

Chapter 2. Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation Answer to Exercise 2.1

21

! ! " [ x # x k (t )] = {" [ x # xk (t )]" [ y # yk (t )]" [ z # zk (t )]} !t !t ! = {" [ x # xk (t )]}" [ y # yk (t )]" [ z # zk (t )] !t ! +" [ x # xk (t )] {" [ y # yk (t )]}" [ z # zk (t )] !t ! +" [ x # xk (t )]" [ y # yk (t )] {" [ z # zk (t )]} !t d" [ x # xk (t )] ! [ x # xk (t )] ={ }" [ y # yk (t )]" [ z # zk (t )] d[ x # xk (t )] !t d" [ y # yk (t )] ! [ y # yk (t )] +" [ x # xk (t )]{ }" [ z # zk (t )] d[ y # yk (t )] !t d" [ z # zk (t )] ! [ z # zk (t )] +" [ x # xk (t )]" [ y # yk (t )]{ } d[ z # zk (t )] !t !" [ x # xk (t )] d xk (t ) ={ (# )}" [ y # yk (t )]" [ z # zk (t )] !x dt !" [ y # yk (t )] d yk (t ) +" [ x # xk (t )]{ (# )}" [ z # zk (t )] !y dt !" [ z # zk (t )] d zk (t ) +" [ x # xk (t )]" [ y # yk (t )]{ (# )} !z dt !" [ x # x k (t )] d x (t ) d x (t ) = $ (# k ) = {% x" [ x # x k (t )]} $ (# k ) !x dt dt
where

!" [ x # x k (t )] ! ! ! )(" [ x # xk (t )]" [ y # yk (t )]" [ z # zk (t )])} = {( x +y +z !x !x !y !z

and

d x k (t ) d x (t ) d y (t ) d z (t ) k +y k +z k =x dt dt dt dt

Exercise 2.2 Show that

!" [ x # xk (t )] !" [ x # xk (t )] d xk (t ) = [# ] !t !x dt

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Chapter 2. Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation

Answer to Exercise 2.2 Let f be a functional of a function W ( x, t) , i.e, f = f [W ( x, t )] . Then

!f d f !W = ! t dW ! t
If !W /! x = 1, then

!f d f !W df = = ! x dW ! x dW
Thus, for ! W / ! x = 1 , we have

!f d f !W ! f !W = = ! t dW ! t ! x !t
This is the reason why

!" [ x # xk (t )] !" [ x # xk (t )] ! [ x # xk (t )] !" [ x # xk (t )] d xk (t ) = = [# ] !t !x !t !x dt

Exercise 2.3 Show that

& ! [x " x (t )]( v

k =1 k N0 k =1

N0

(t ) # B m [ x k (t ), t ] $

% ! [ v " v k (t )] %v

= & ! [ x " x k (t )][ v # B m (x, t )] $

% ! [ v " v k (t )] %v

2.2. Vlasov Equation Let f! (x, v, t ) , E(x, t ) , and B(x, t ) be the ensemble average of N! (x, v, t) , E m (x, t ) , and

B m (x, t ) , respectively. Let

N! (x, v, t ) = f! (x, v, t ) + " N! (x, v, t )
E m (x, t ) = E(x, t ) + ! E m (x, t ) B m (x, t ) = B(x, t ) + ! B m (x, t )
If we use

to denote the ensemble average of A , then we have

N! (x, v, t ) = f! (x, v, t )

E m (x, t ) = E(x, t )

Chapter 2. Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation

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B m (x, t ) = B(x, t )
and

! N" (x, v, t ) = 0

! E m (x, t ) = 0 ! B m (x, t ) = 0
Taking the ensemble average of Eq. (2.4), it yields

! N" (x, v, t ) ! N" (x, v, t ) e" m ! N" (x, v, t ) +v# + [ E (x, t ) + v $ B m (x, t )] # =0 !t !x m" !v
or

! f" (x, v, t ) ! f (x, v, t ) e" ! f (x, v, t ) +v# " + [ E(x, t ) + v $ B(x, t )] # " !t !x m" !v
e !% N" (x, v, t ) + " [% E m (x, t ) + v $ % B m (x, t )] # =0 m" !v

(2.5)

Let Df! (x, v, t ) / Dt denote the time derivative of the distribution function f! (x, v, t) along its characteristic curve in the (x, v) phase space, then Eq. (2.5) can be rewritten as
Df! (x, v, t ) " f! (x, v, t ) " f (x, v, t ) e! " f (x, v, t ) = +v# ! + [ E(x, t ) + v $ B(x, t )] # ! Dt "t "x m! "v e "& N! (x, v, t ) & f (x, v, t ) = % ! [& E m (x, t ) + v $ & B m (x, t )] # = ! m! "v &t

(2.6)

collision

For
! e" &# N" (x, v, t ) # f (x, v, t ) [# E m (x, t ) + v $ # B m (x, t )] % = " m" &v #t =0,
collision

the Boltzmann equation, Eq. (2.6), is reduced to the Vlasov equation (Vlasov, 1945):

! f" (x, v, t ) ! f (x, v, t ) e" ! f (x, v, t ) +v# " + [ E(x, t ) + v $ B(x, t )] # " =0 !t !x m" !v

(2.7)

References Nicholson, D. R. (1983), Introduction to Plasma Theory, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Vlasov, A. A. (1945), J. Phys. (U.S.S.R.), 9, 25.

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Chapter 2. Deriving the Vlasov Equation From the Klimontovich Equation