| Numéro |
J. Phys. Colloques
Volume 40, Numéro C7, Juillet 1979
XIVe Conférence Internationale sur les Phénomènes d'Ionisation dans les Gaz / XIVth International Conference on Phenomena in Ionized Gases
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| Page(s) | C7-139 - C7-140 | |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/jphyscol:1979768 | |
J. Phys. Colloques 40 (1979) C7-139-C7-140
DOI: 10.1051/jphyscol:1979768
FLUID THEORY OF PLASMA DOUBLE-LAYERS
J.S. Levine et F.W. Crawford.Institute for Plasma Research, Stanford University, Stanford California 94305 U.S.A.
Abstract
A double-layer consists of two adjacent, oppositely-charged space-charge layers, and may occur near a material boundary, or within the plasma volume (See [1]-[3] for reviews of double-layer phenomena in laboratory and space plasmas). Here, we shall analyze a steady-state double-layer separating two plasmas of different densities and temperatures, and relate its length and potential drop to the plasma parameters. Several theoretical models have treated the double-layer as a region of high electric field and monotonic potential variation. The total potential drop is generally taken to be larger than the plasma thermal energy, and the electric field is confined to the double-layer, implying that the charge variation integrates to zero. Cold plasma, fluid, and kinetic theory approaches have been discussed [2].