Anomalous Viscosity as a Possible Explanation for an Anomalous Plasma Skin Effect

Anomalous viscosity of electrons across the magnetic field in plasmas is calculated, assuming that the electrostatic ion acoustic wave is excited by the drift velocity of electrons parallel to the magnetic field lines. The mean free path of the wave perpendicular to the magnetic field is estimated. The momentum transfer rate between waves and electrons, τ^-1, also was calculated from the quasilinear theory. The anomalous (kinematic) viscosity was then estimated as l²τ^-1. The theory appears to explain the experimentally observed results of the anomalous skin effect.