188 Magnetohydrodynamics Chapter IV

5. TWO-TEMPERATURE PLASMAS
For gases,there are many circumstances where the electron temperature
Tediffers from the heavy particle temperature T. The electrical conductivity
and other coefficients in the equations of motion depend on Te. It is
therefore necessaryin such circumstances to include Teamong the variables
which define the state of the gas, and to employ an additional equation
which governs the behavior of the electron temperature. The derivation of
the electron energy equation from kinetic theory is discussed in Secs.
VIII 3 and VIII 8. In this section, we shall derive this equation heuristically,
in the spirit of the continuum approach that we have been following.
We may regard each species in a gas mixture as a separate fluid
coexisting with the fluids of the other species.Each single-speciesfluid will
be described by a set of continuum conservation equations that are similar
in structure to the global conservation equations, exceptfor additional terms
that describe interactions between the single-speciesfluids.
To construct the energy conservation equation for the electron fluid, we
may start with equation (4.1c).For the electrons p = rnene,ande= 3kTe/2me,
so that the left-hand side of equation (4.1c) can be written

~t (ne~ kT,) + (n. ~ kTe)V . u.

The first term expressesthe time rate of change of the electron thermal
energy per unit volume. Corresponding to the right-hand side of equation
(4.1c), the electron energy equation will contain the terms
-V. qe - pe V.u ,
where we have neglectedthe electron viscous stress in comparison with Pe.
Here qe denotes the electron heat flux [see equation (II 12.13a) for the
caseB = 0,and equation(VIII 4.12)or (VIII 4.14)for B # 0]. Corresponding
to equation (4.5b), the term
.
J e E'
for the rate of increaseof electron thermal energy per unit volume by the
electromagnetic field must also be included.
The electron fluid can interact energetically with the other species in a
gas as a result of both elastic and nonelastic collisions. The rate of
electron energy loss per unit volume as a result of elastic collisions with
heavy particles can be obtained using equation (II 7.11d), and it is given
by the expression
~ 2 k(Te- T )-vehne.
2me_3
L., - (5.1) .
h mh

I
i
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,.,~ A -"""',0,""",8
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i

1
) Section 6 189
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i

~ Here veh denotes the energy-weighted average momentum transfer collision

frequency between an electron and heavy particles of species h, as defined

by equation (II 6.29). If we denote by N the net rate per unit volume of

nonelastic energy loss from the electrons, the energy equation for the

electron fluid can be written

~ (ne ~ kTe) = - (ne ~ kTe)V . U - V . qe + Je . E'

~ 2me - 3 ( .
- i... - vehne _2 k Te - T) - N. ( 5.2)
h mh

~ The quantity N is discussed in Sec. VIII 8 for the case where the

( releyant nonelastic collisions are with electronically excited atoms that

~ communicate energetically only with the free electrons and by radiation.

For this case the electron energy equation becomes

( ~[ne(~kTe+£j)] = -ne(~kTe+£j)V.U-V. (qe-~Je)

1\ + Je. E' - L~ Vehne _

2
3 k(Te - T) - R. (5.3)

h mh

~ Here £j is ionization energy of the atom, and R is the local net rate

: per unit volume of energy loss from the plasma by radiation. For plasmas

I containing relatively large fractions of polyatomic species, the term N in

'" equation (5.2) would become very large if Te differed significantly from 1;

\ and so this term will ordinarily serve to insure that for such plasmas

~ Te ~ T.
( For uniform and steady plasma conditions, equation (5.3) reduces to the

l frequently used form

J . E ,_~2me- 3 ( ) . ,
( 2 kTe-T +R. (5.4)
~c i e -i
hmh vehne-
~

This equation states that the rate at which electrons gain energy per unit

volume from the electric field is balanced by a loss of energy to heavy

particles in elastic collisions and by a loss of energy in the form of

radiation.

\ 6. THE MHD APPROXIMATION

The preceding formulation of the equations of motion for conducting fluids

is rigorous for fluids moving with nonrelativistic speeds (i.e., U2« C2) and

provides a starting point for making simplifications that are appropriate