Vol. 48, No. 2, Part I, April 1976 | F. L. Hinton and R. D. Hazeltine
The chapter discusses the theory of plasma transport in toroidal confinement systems, focusing on the dissipation induced by Coulomb-collisional scattering. The kinetic description of this dissipation is provided by a Fokker-Planck equation, which allows for the calculation of transport coefficients that linearly relate particle, energy, and electric charge fluxes to density and temperature gradients, as well as the electric field. The transport theory for a magnetized plasma, where the Larmor radius is much smaller than the group velocity, is detailed, emphasizing the nonlocal nature of transport coefficients and their dependence on magnetic field geometry. The review highlights the importance of neoclassical transport, which is particularly relevant to classical confined plasmas and exhibits novel couplings between collisional dissipation and the electromagnetic field. The authors also discuss the historical development of magnetized-plasma transport theory, distinguishing between classical and neoclassical phases, and provide a comprehensive treatment of neoclassical transport, including its application to axisymmetric tokamak-type confinement systems. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the conservation laws and small mass-ratio approximations, and the implications of the strong field or small gyroradius ordering for the equilibrium and transport processes in toroidal confinement systems.The chapter discusses the theory of plasma transport in toroidal confinement systems, focusing on the dissipation induced by Coulomb-collisional scattering. The kinetic description of this dissipation is provided by a Fokker-Planck equation, which allows for the calculation of transport coefficients that linearly relate particle, energy, and electric charge fluxes to density and temperature gradients, as well as the electric field. The transport theory for a magnetized plasma, where the Larmor radius is much smaller than the group velocity, is detailed, emphasizing the nonlocal nature of transport coefficients and their dependence on magnetic field geometry. The review highlights the importance of neoclassical transport, which is particularly relevant to classical confined plasmas and exhibits novel couplings between collisional dissipation and the electromagnetic field. The authors also discuss the historical development of magnetized-plasma transport theory, distinguishing between classical and neoclassical phases, and provide a comprehensive treatment of neoclassical transport, including its application to axisymmetric tokamak-type confinement systems. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the conservation laws and small mass-ratio approximations, and the implications of the strong field or small gyroradius ordering for the equilibrium and transport processes in toroidal confinement systems.