Relativistic Boltzmann Equation for Plasmas

Abstract

A relativistically invariant formulation of the Boltzmann equation with collision terms is established on the basis of elastic binary collisions. The collision cross sections to be used are those obtained in relativistic quantum mechanics. The theory is applied to plasmas of Boltzmann statistics. The Coulomb divergence arises in the same way as in the nonrelativistic case, and the cutting-off is indispensable which neglects the effects of distant collisions. The covariant Landau equation is obtained for the electron and electron-proton plasmas. The impulse approximation is discussed in connection with the Coulomb divergence involved in the derivation of the Landau equation.