The general theory described in the preceding article [Phys. Rev. A 43, 6622 (1991)] based on the nonequilibrium-statistical-operator method, which provides mechano-statistical foundations for phenomenological irreversible thermodynamics, is applied to a specific problem. This is the case of a highly excited plasma in a semiconductor, where fluxes of mass and energy naturally appear, as well as other higher-order fluxes, as basic variables necessary for the description of the macroscopic state of the system. A criterion for the truncation of the basic set of variables is presented. The equations of motion for the macrovariables are derived for the case of a simple model. They have the structure of nonlinear and nonlocal transport equations, which fit into a natural extension of those of linear irreversible thermodynamics. In particular, Maxwell-Cattaneo-Vernotte-type equations of extended irreversible thermodynamics are recovered, having relaxation times and transport coefficients that may be calculated from the microscopic dynamics of the system composed of averages over the nonequilibrium ensemble.

• Received 31 July 1990

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.43.6633