Analysis of a kinetic model for electron heat transport in inertial confinement fusion plasmas

Abstract

To determine the electron heat flux density on macroscopic scales, the most widely used approach is to solve a diffusion equation through a multi-group technique. This method is, however, restricted to transport induced by temperature gradients without accounting for other sources of fast electrons because the electric field induced by the charge separation is indirectly treated. In addition, significant discrepancies are reported in the underlying distribution function when compared to complete kinetic calculations. These limitations motivate the research for alternative reduced kinetic models. The physical content of one of them is here deepened, its precision is improved, and the benefit of its usage compared to other models is discussed.