A.C. conductivity of a plasma

Abstract

This paper computes the electrical conductivity of a fully ionized, spatially homogeneous plasma under the influence of a uniform, periodically alternating electric field. The velocity distribution of the electrons is determined by solving the linearized Fokker-Planck equations. All the terms in the collision integral are retained, including those representing electron-electron interactions. The resultant values of conductivity is expected to be valid in the range of frequencies from zero to below the plasma frequency.