Plasma sheath and presheath development near a partially reflective surface
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.
- Publication:
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Journal of Plasma Physics
- Pub Date:
- February 2021
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S0022377820001518
- Bibcode:
- 2021JPlPh..87a9001B
- Keywords:
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- plasma sheaths;
- plasma nonlinear phenomena