INTEGRAL TRANSPORT-THEORY FOR CHARGED-PARTICLES IN ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC-FIELDS

In this paper an integral transport theory for charged particles which, in the presence of electric and magnetic fields, diffuse by collisions against the atoms (or molecules) of a host medium is proposed. The combined effects of both the external fields and the mechanisms of scattering, removal and creation in building up the distribution function of the charged particles considered are investigated. The eigenvalue problem associated with the sourceless case of the given physical situation is also commented. Applications of the theory to a purely velocity-dependent problem and to a space-dependent problem, respectively, are illustrated for the case of a separable isotropic scattering kernel of synthetic type. Calculations of the distribution function, of the total current density and of the relevant electrical conductivity are then carried out for different specializations of the external fields. © 1979 Società Italiana di Fisica.