Statistical Mechanical Theory of Transport Phenomena in a Fully Ionized Gas

Abstract

Nonequilibrium statistical mechanics, as developed by Kirkwood, Irving, and Zwanzig, is applied to a system of charged particles interacting via the electromagnetic field. Particles and field are treated statistically both from the classical and quantal points of view. It is shown that Maxwell's equations are valid for the quantum statistical ensemble-averaged fields. An exact form for the hydromagnetic equations is derived, and it is shown that these equations differ from those which are customarily considered to be exact.