Quantum Character of Electromagnetic Langmuir Oscillations in Conventional Electron-Ion Plasma

Boris Alexandrovich Veklenko

doi:10.1155/2012/648741

Abstract

It is shown that the low-temperature plasma near-thermodynamic equilibrium cannot be classical because of a quantum nature of the longitudinal electromagnetic field and electron interaction with Rayleigh-Jeans distribution of Langmuir waves. The theory requires introduction of a dimensionless quantum charge whose value is greater than unity leading to a liquid-like behavior of the plasma.

Highlights

Plasma is called classical and the low-temperature one, if electrons and ions in it are governed by equations of classical electrodynamics and obey Maxwell distribution at thermodynamic equilibrium
Investigating the plasma, we deal with the same electrodynamics but dealing with the longitudinal waves
That is why International Journal of Optics the dimensionless charge (2) occurs being great and there appears a question about the applicability of the perturbation technique, which is the base of modern theory of plasma

Summary

Introduction

Plasma is called classical and the low-temperature one, if electrons and ions in it are governed by equations of classical electrodynamics and obey Maxwell distribution at thermodynamic equilibrium The latter condition implies that the de-Brogle temperature wave length λB 1/n1/3 is much less than the mean distance between the particles in plasma. The inequality written above does not mean that the electromagnetic field in plasma could be described by classical physics methods. Investigating the plasma, we deal with the same electrodynamics but dealing with the longitudinal waves In this theory, the parameter denoting the vacuum light velocity c is absent. That is why International Journal of Optics the dimensionless charge (2) occurs being great and there appears a question about the applicability of the perturbation technique, which is the base of modern theory of plasma. We develop a quantum field theory of plasma and investigate the conditions of the applicability of the classical theory

Principle Equations

Chemical Potential of Electron Gas

Plasma Dielectric Permittivity for Longitudinal Waves

Debye Screen Radius

Conclusion