The effective dielectric tensor for electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas and the proper formulation in the electrostatic limit

Abstract

The procedures used to obtain general expressions for the components of the effective dielectric tensor for electromagnetic waves in inhomogeneous magnetized plasmas are briefly reviewed, and the relationship between these expressions and their counterparts which can be obtained assuming electrostatic fluctuations is discussed. It is argued that a general formulation formerly available in the literature, which do not satisfy Onsager symmetry in the case of electrostatic fluctuations, is not the suitable form for description of dielectric properties in the electrostatic case, which require a dielectric constant. A general expression for an effective dielectric constant is therefore provided, obtained from the effective dielectric tensor, which satisfy Onsager symmetry.