Plasma sheath and presheath development near a partially reflective surface
Open Access
- 13 January 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Cambridge University Press (CUP) in Journal of Plasma Physics
- Vol. 87 (1)
- https://doi.org/10.1017/s0022377820001518
Abstract
This work addresses one-dimensional evolution of a collisionless plasma next to a solid surface that is immersed into the plasma instantaneously. In particular, we consider how the self-similar rarefaction wave (Allen & Andrews, J. Plasma Phys., vol. 4, 1970, pp. 187–194) establishes dynamically and how the electron reflection from the surface modifies the structure of the rarefaction wave and the Debye sheath. We demonstrate that a sufficiently strong reflection eliminates the Debye sheath and changes the wall potential and the plasma flow parameters significantly. The paper presents numerical results that illustrate the developed analytical theory.Keywords
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