Stationary solutions of the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system of plasma physics (Q1312902)

The authors prove the existence of stationary solutions of the relativistic Vlasov-Maxwell system, which describes the time evolution of a collisionless plasma, and which consists of the relativistic Vlasov equation for the phase-space density \(f\) of the particles, coupled to Maxwell's equations for the selfconsistent electric and magnetic fields \(E\) and \(B\). If \(\Phi\) and \(A\) denote the scalar and vector potential generating \(E\) and \(B\) in the Lorentz gauge then the particle energy \({\mathcal E}(x,v) = \Phi(x) + \sqrt{1 + v^ 2} (x,v \in \mathbb{R}^ 3)\) is conserved along the characteristic curves, i.e., particle orbits of the Vlasov equation, and if the system has cylindrical or translational symmetry then the corresponding component \(F\) of the angular or \(P\) of the linear momentum are conserved in addition. By making the ansatz that \(f\) is a given function \(\phi\) of \(\mathcal E\) (case 1) or \(\mathcal E\) and \(F\) (case 2) or \(\mathcal E\), \(F\) and \(P\) (case 3) the system is reduced to a semilinear elliptic PDE for \(\Phi\) in case 1, a system of such equations for \(\Phi\) and the angular component of \(A\) in case 2, and a system of nonlinear ODEs for \(\Phi\) and the angular and translational component of \(A\) in case 3. Under appropriate assumptions on \(\phi\) these reduced problems are then solved, in case 1 using a result of H. Amann to obtain stationary solutions on bounded spatial domains, in case 2 using a result of P. J. McKenna and W. Walter to obtain solutions on domains with cylindrical symmetry, and in case 3 using Schauder's fixed point theorem to obtain stationary solutions on cylinders which are unbounded in the direction of the axis of symmetry.