= Collisionless phase mixing
For freely streaming particles, a spatial Fourier perturbation of a <velocity distribution> evolves with factors $e^{-ikvt}$. Contributions from different velocities acquire different phases and can cancel in a density or field moment even while the fine-grained distribution retains structure. In a self-consistent plasma, resonant field–particle exchange gives <Landau damping>. This is distinct from collisional thermalization and from orbital phase mixing in a planetary ensemble.
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