Extension of the perturbed plasma region in a low-pressure discharge near the negative probe

It is suggested to consider the region in which the electric field intensity changes its sign as a perturbed plasma region near the negative probe. It is demonstrated that the size of this perturbed region can considerably exceed the probe radius and depends not only on the probe radius but also on the dimensions of the discharge chamber. Within the framework of the considered problem, the chosen criterion is equivalent to another condition that the number of particles in the perturbed zone is equal to the number of particles striking the probe. This contradicts the approach conventionally used in the probe theory according to which particles are accelerated rather than generated in the perturbed region. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 6, pp. 10–12, June, 2007.