Three-Dimensional Plasma Diffusion in a Very Strong Magnetic Field

The thermal equilibrium coefficient of spatial diffusion transverse to a strong uniform dc magnetic field is calculated for a fully ionized plasma. The particles are assumed to move transverse to the field only as a consequence of the E × B drift, but to move freely parallel to it. The particles interact only electrostatically. The calculation is done at large, but fixed and finite, plasma volume. It is shown that, as B→∞, the leading term of the coefficient of transverse spatial diffusion falls off as O(1/B), but contains a multiplicative factor which goes to zero as the plasma volume becomes infinite. The method of calculation fails for unbounded plasmas.