Two new proofs of the test particle superposition principle of plasma kinetic theory

The test particle superposition principle of plasma kinetic theory is discussed in relation to the recent theory of two-time fluctuations in plasma given by Williams and Oberman. Both a new deductive and a new inductive proof of the principle are presented; the deductive approach appears here for the first time in the literature. The fundamental observation is that two-time expectations of one-body operators are determined completely in terms of the (x,v) phase space density autocorrelation, which to lowest order in the discreteness parameter obeys the linearized Vlasov equation with singular initial condition. For the deductive proof, this equation is solved formally using time-ordered operators, and the solution is then re-arranged into the superposition principle. The inductive proof is simpler than Rostoker’s although similar in some ways; it differs in that first-order equations for pair correlation functions need not be invoked. It is pointed out that the superposition principle is also applicable to the short-time theory of neutral fluids.