Theory of electrostatic probes in a low-density flowing continuum plasma: numerical solutions for a sphere stagnation point
K Kodera; Jen-Shih Chang; K Kodera; Centre de Recherches en Phys. de l'Environnement, Orlean-La Source, France; Jen-Shih Chang; Centre de Recherches en Phys. de l'Environnement, Orlean-La Source, France
Журнал:
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
Дата:
1976-11-11
Аннотация:
An exact numerical method has been used to study a probe stagnation point in a continuum flowing plasma. The solutions for the 'low-density continuum' plasma, i.e. with mean free path<<probe radius<<Debye length are calculated for Reynolds numbers Re from 0 to 400, charged diffusion Reynolds numbers Ra<sub>c</sub> from 0 to 10, and scaled probe potentials phi <sub>p</sub>/ epsilon from 0 to +or-32, where phi <sub>p</sub>=eV<sub>p</sub>/kT<sub>e</sub>, epsilon =T/T<sub>e</sub>. The numerical results show that (i) the usual semi-log method for temperature determination leads to large errors; (ii) the effect of flow leads to large errors in the space potential determination; (iii) for a sufficiently large accelerating potential, the currents always show a linear dependence; (iv) approximate current expressions are suggested at smaller Reynolds numbers (Re<or=0.1) and diffusion Reynolds numbers (Ra<sub>c</sub><or=1).
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