A general method of obtaining a closed form analytical solution for the Fokker-Planck equation is proposed. The physical problem considered here is the non-Spitzer heat flow in laser produced plasmas. A unique non-local expression for the heat flow is derived from the analytical solution of the Fokker-Planck equation for electrons which is solved in conjunction with the hydrodynamic equations governing the motion of the plasma. The results agree well with the simulations performed by Bell et al. [2] and Bell [3]. It is also found that the thermal conductivity determined by the classical electron collision theory is an order of magnitude less than that given by the Spitzer-H�rm theory when the scale length of the temperature gradient is a few times the electron mean free path.

Fokker�Planck equation, non�spitzer thermal conductivity, nonlocal heat flux, laser�plasma interactions.