Improved nonlocal electron heat transport model for magnetized plasmas
Phys. Rev. E 114, 045201 – Published 1 October, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/mwjc-s21x
Abstract
Distortions in the electron distribution function driven by intense temperature gradients critically influence the heat transport and the generation and evolution of magnetic fields in plasmas under the condition of inertial confinement fusion. Describing such kinetic behaviors at large spatiotemporal scales typically requires multigroup models based on simplified Vlasov-Fokker-Planck equations. However, the existing multigroup models cannot correctly describe the nonlocal effects in magnetized plasmas. This paper develops an improved nonlocal multigroup model for magnetized plasmas. The advancements include the following: (i) a revised source term in the diffusion equations, (ii) a Biermann-producing electric field incorporating the density perturbation, and (iii) a nonlocal correction method for the Nernst velocity. The numerical implementation is described and the stability of the anisotropic heat conduction equation is analyzed. Three test cases demonstrate that the model accurately predicts the key phenomena arising from nonlocal effects in magnetized plasmas.
