Dielectric tensor for inhomogeneous plasmas in inhomogeneous magnetic field

The derivation of explicit expressions for the effective dielectric tensor to be utilized in the dispersion relation for weakly inhomogeneous plasmas is discussed. The general expressions obtained are useful for situations wi th simultaneous existence of weak inhomogeneities in density and magnetic f ield. The particular case of a Maxwellian distribution in velocity space fo r the electron population is discussed, and relatively compact expressions for the dielectric tensor are obtained, which depend on the inhomogeneous p lasma dispersion function introduced by [Gaelzer , Phys. Rev. E 55, 5859 (1 997)] and ultimately on the well-known Fried-Conte function and its derivat ives. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1070- 664X(99)04512-7].