Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 September 2014
In previous works, we derived stationary density distribution functions (DDF) where the local equilibrium is determined by imposing the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) principle, under the scale invariance restrictions, and the minimum entropy production theorem. In this paper we demonstrate that it is possible to reobtain these DDF solely from the MaxEnt principle subject to suitable scale invariant restrictions in all the variables. For the sake of concreteness, we analyse the example of ohmic, fully ionized, tokamak-plasmas, in the weak-collisional transport regime. In this case we show that it is possible to reinterpret the stationary distribution function in terms of the Prigogine distribution function where the logarithm of the DDF is directly linked to the entropy production of the plasma. This leads to the suggestive idea that also the stationary neoclassical distribution functions, for magnetically confined plasmas in the collisional transport regimes, may be derived solely by the MaxEnt principle.