Two-dimensional nonlocal electron transport in laser-produced plasmas.

Much effort has been devoted to the study of nonlocal electron transport in laser-produced plasmas.'J Most of the work has involved the numerical solution of the electron Fokker-Planck (FP) equation in one dimension by finite difference techniques. Comparisons with standard fluid transport calculations using Spitzer-Harm (SH)3 heat flow 2, = K ~ T has revealed the occurrence of hot-electron "preheat," as well as reduced penetration of the bulk heat front, a phenomenon known as "flux inhibition."' To simulate the latter effect, fluid codes are normally equipped with an artificial flux limiter, which maintains the heat flux q below some fraction f of its free-streaming limit qf = nm(Tlm)312, i.e., q = _q,l(l + I _q,lfqf 1 ).4,5