Penetration and Equilibration of Injected Electrons into a High-Current Hydrogen Pseudospark-Type Plasma.

摘要

The penetration and equilibration of the velocity distribution function on an initially monoenergetic electron beam with energies of 50, 100, and 500 eV which is injected into a Maxwellian bulk hydrogen pseudospark or back-lighted thyratron plasma (j approx. = 10,000 A/sq. cm, T sub e approx. = 1 eV, n sub e = 1-3 x 10 to the 15th power/cc) is evaluated using a Fokker-Planck equation. The electron beam considered here is the part that is produced during the conductive phase by the electric field in the cathode fall. The beam is estimated to transverse the electrode gap without equilibration with the background plasma if the plasma density is < 2.5 x 10 to the 15th power/cc. Reprints. (jhd)