Asymmetric double Langmuir probe for fast and automatic measurements of plasma temperature

We present a fast technique for determining the plasma electron temperature T/sub e/ automatically from the small signal application of the asymmetric double Langmuir probe when it is operated in the region where -1 is less than eV/sub a/T/sub e/ is less than 1. The method described here is based on simple time and rms averages of the probe current that results from a sinusoidally varying applied voltage V/sub a/.