FLUID EQUATIONS FOR A PARTIALLY-IONIZED PLASMA

Transport coefficients and fluid equations in the limit of short mean free path are derived for a partially ionized plasma undergoing charge exchange, ionization, and recombination. The electron distribution is assumed to be unaffected by these processes and by collisions with ne utral particles, and collisions among the neutrals are neglected. The calculated heat flux and viscosity contain terms purely related to cha rge exchange, and terms proportional to their usual counterparts in a completely ionized plasma with an additional proportionality factor eq ual to the inverse square of the fraction of ions in the plasma. The r eason for this latter behavior is that charge exchange does not random ize particle trajectories, so that heavy particles suffer an ''identit y crisis'' by existing alternately as neutrals and ions. The use of a closer approximation to the charge-exchange cross section than previou sly employed gives rise to new terms in the neutral momentum and energ y equations, representing the thermal force and the diffusion thermoef fect. The latter contributes significantly to the total heat flux in t he plasma.