Transport equations in magnetized plasmas for non-Maxwellian distribution functions

Non-Maxwellian distribution functions are frequently observed in space and laboratory plasmas in (quasi-) stationary states, usually resulting from long-range nonlinear wave-particle interactions [P. H. Yoon, Phys. Plasmas 19, 012304 (2012)]. Since the collisional transport described by the Boltzmann equation with the standard collisional operator implies that the plasma distribution function evolves inexorably towards a Maxwellian, the description of the transport for stationary states outside of equilibrium requires a different formulation. In this work, we approach this problem through the non-extensive statistics formalism based on the Tsallis entropy. The basic framework of the kinetic model and the required generalized form of the collision operator are self-consistently derived. The fluid equations and the relevant transport coefficients for electrons are then found employing the method of Braginskii. As an illustrative application of the model, we employ this formalism to analyze the heat flux in solar winds. Published by AIP Publishing.