Perturbation of a collisional plasma by exterior bodies in a uniform external electric field.

Grach, V. S.; Semenov, V. E.; Trakhtengerts, V. Yu.

The charging of a metal sphere in a weakly ionized collisional plasma in a uniform external electric field is investigated with allowance for the effect of the space charge field and ionization-recombination processes. The sphere charge and the spatial distributions of charged plasma particles are calculated both numerically and analytically (for some particular cases) for the case of a strong external field. It is found that the size of the perturbed plasma region is determined by the external field and the intensity of recombination processes. It is shown that the total electric charge (the sphere charge plus the plasma space charge) is zero in accordance with predictions of the theory of static currents in a conducting medium.

ASTRONOMICAL perturbation; ELECTRIC fields; PLASMA gases; ELECTROMAGNETIC fields; ELECTRON impact ionization; ELECTRIC charge

Plasma Physics Reports, 2009, Vol 35, Issue 1, p31

1063-780X

Academic Journal

10.1134/S1063780X09010048