Space-dependent plasma, electron kinetics

Furthermore, the detailed procedure ultimately used to determine the velocity distribution sensitively depends on the type of plasma and is quite different when studying the electron kinetics in steady-state, time-dependent, or space-dependent plasmas. 

Equations (12), simplified by the assumption of isotropic scattering in exciting and dissociating collisions, represent the basic equations for studying many quite different problems in electron kinetics. In particular, the additional simplification to steady-state, purely time-dependent, or purely space-dependent plasma conditions allows a detailed microphysical analysis of various electron kinetic problems related to each of these plasma conditions. 

By the preceding representations, an attempt has been made to give, on the basis of the electron Boltzmann equation, an introduction to the kinetic treatment of the electron component in steady-state, time-dependent, and space-dependent plasmas and to illustrate by selected examples the large variety of electron kinetics in anisothermal weakly ionized plasmas. 

A quite different situation with respect to the spatial behavior of the electron component arises if the inhomogeneity of the plasma is caused by a plasma confinement. The electron kinetics established in the radial direction of the positive column of dc glow discharges, which usually operates in a cylindrical discharge tube with an isolated wall, presents a representative example (Kortsha-gen, 1995 Uhrlandt and Winkler, 1996 Pfau et al, 1996 Alves et al, 1997) of such a condition. From the point of the electron kinetics, this space-dependent problem is somewhat more complex than those considered above. 

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