Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 March 2009
We investigate the effect of a weak ambipolar field on non-local heat transport by solving the reduced Fokker-Planck equation in the non-diffusive approximation for the electron distribution function. It turns out that for a moderately high-Z plasma with steep gradients the maximum-heat-flow expression is modified and the ensuing results compare favourably with the experimental values. However, in the gentle-gradient limit the classical Spitzer-Härm heat flux expression is unaltered.