Analytical solution of the kinetic equation for a uniform plasma in a magnetic field

Abstract

The kinetic equation for a single-component uniform plasma in a magnetic field is analytically solved by the moment method. The linear system of ordinary differential equations for the moments is decomposed into subsystems of lower dimensions by a geometric method. The eigensystem of each subsystem shows that parallel moments decay monotonically, but perpendicular lth harmonic moments decay while oscillating with the l,l-2,… ,-th harmonics of gyrofrequency. A generalization to a multicomponent plasma is discussed.