Development of force distribution based plasma kinetic theory

In contrast to the usual velocity distribution based kinetic theories, a theory based on the force distribution of a particle is developed and tested. The force on a test charge is related to the relative velocity of a collision through the averaging of impact parameters and solid angle. This process provides a coordinate transformation of the velocity distribution to a force distribution. This approach has the benefits of more direct relation to bremsstrahlung radiation and some experimental measurements, such as stopping power measurements in inertial confinement fusion experiments. The theory is evaluated with the Rutherford cross-section as well as cross-sections from models of strongly coupled plasmas and compared to molecular dynamic simulations created by passing a test charge through a one-component background and measuring the force on the particle at each time step. Comparisons with different coupling strengths determined by the ratio of coulombic potential energy to thermal kinetic energy were performed.