  Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) can be used to model capillary discharge
waveguides in laser-wakefield accelerators. However, the predictive capability
of MHD can suffer due to poor microscopic closure models. Here, we study the
impact of electron heating and thermal conduction on capillary waveguide
performance as part of an effort to understand and quantify uncertainties in
modeling and designing next-generation plasma accelerators. To do so, we
perform two-dimensional high-resolution MHD simulations using an argon-filled
capillary discharge waveguide with three different electron transport
coefficients models. The models tested include (i) Davies et al. (ii) Spitzer,
and (iii) Epperlein-Haines (EH). We found that the EH model overestimates the
electron temperature inside the channel by over $20\%$ while predicting a lower
azimuthal magnetic field. Moreover, the Spitzer model, often used in MHD
simulations for plasma-based accelerators, predicts a significantly higher
electron temperature than the other models suggest.
