ABSTRACT

In plasma systems, complete thermodynamic equilibrium is related to uniform homogeneous plasma, in which kinetic and chemical equilibrium as well as all the plasma properties are unambiguous functions of temperature. In this case, the electromagnetic radiation of the plasma can be considered as black body radiation with plasma temperature. Actual plasmas are quite far from these ideal conditions. Most plasmas are optically thin over a wide range of wavelengths and as a result, the plasma radiation is much less than that of a black body. Determination of the thermodynamic plasma properties, free energy, enthalpy, entropy, etc., at first requires the calculation of the partition functions, which are the links between microscopic statistics and macroscopic thermodynamics. The correct description of the non-equilibrium plasma systems and processes requires the application of detailed kinetic models. The application of statistical models, in this case, can lead to huge deviations from reality, as was demonstrated by D.I. Slovetsky.