Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves by a Nonequilibrium Plasma

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Abstract
Incoherent scattering is determined by the spectral density of electron-density fluctuations. This quantity has previously been calculated for a plasma in thermal equilibrium. We have extended the theory to include spatially homogeneous nonequilibrium states of a hot plasma. An elementary derivation of the previous results and the new results is given in terms of dressed test particles. Numerical calculations have been carried out for a plasma with hot electrons and cold ions, and for a plasma in which the electrons have a net drift relative to the ions.