Calculation of the thermally nonequilibrium near-electrode region in an alkali-metal-seeded plasma

Distribution of parameters in the region of disturbance of a plasma near the surface of an electrode is considered based on diffusion equations. Thermoelectronic and thermionic emission from the electrode surface, the Schottky effect, and volume ionization and recombination are borne in mind. Two regions are assumed in the solution, namely, the region of ambipolar diffusion and the region of the space charge. A comparatively simple geometry for the discharge gap, given in the form of two infinite plane-parallel electrodes, is considered. A comparison is carried out with calculations for a thermally balanced region of a plasma disturbance.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Mekhaniki i Tekhnicheskoi Fiziki, No. 1, pp. 13–17, January–February, 1976.