The Fokker-Planck equation has been solved numerically in one spatial and two velocity dimensions in order to study thermal conduction in large temperature gradients occurring in laser-produced plasmas. The heat flow is an order of magnitude smaller than that predicted by the classical theory when the temperature scale length is a few electron mean free paths.

• Received 15 September 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.46.243