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The Theory of the Low Pressure Discharge in the Strong Ionization Regime
Author(s) -
Valentini H.B.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
beiträge aus der plasmaphysik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0005-8025
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.19790190203
Subject(s) - ionization , ion , atomic physics , tensor (intrinsic definition) , plane (geometry) , chemistry , neutral particle , energetic neutral atom , flux (metallurgy) , heat flux , physics , thermodynamics , heat transfer , geometry , mathematics , organic chemistry , pure mathematics
A system of integro‐differential equations describing the velocity distribution functions of the neutral atoms and of the ions and the radial profiles of the electric potential and the particle densities in the positive column at low pressures and high degrees of ionization is derived. This system is solved for a simplified, but self‐consistent, plane model. Both the initial velocity of the ions and the neutral gas depletion caused by the ionization processes are taken into account. For a cylindrical model a solution is obtained for the region near the axis. With rising neutral gas temperature the radial ion flux density is slightly increasing. The pressure tensor, the heat flux tensor, and several components of the corresponding tensor of the fourth order for the ion gas are calculated. It is shown that on the axis the radial and the azimuthal ion temperatures are smaller than the neutral gas temperature because the ions generated out of neutral atoms are retarded during the flight to the axis.