The effect of electron processes on metal walls in magnetized microdischarges
Abstract
The influence of the electron reflection and secondary electron emission due to electron impact on a microdischarge with magnetized electrons and unmagnetized ions is analyzed using a one-dimensional Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo collision model. For low gas pressure (below 10 Torr), the accounting for the electron processes on the walls results in a significant decrease of the breakdown voltage and allows one to increase both the plasma density and the discharge current. The generation of much denser plasma shrinks the cathode sheath to such an extent that the Larmor radius of emitted electrons becomes a few times larger than the sheath thickness. This leads to the expansion of the region of dense plasma toward the anode, which decreases the frequency of the ionization instability and decreases the number of striations obtained in the cathode-anode gap.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Oct 26, 2017
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.4997650
Entities
People
- Dmitry Levko
- Laxminarayan L. Raja
Organizations
- United States Air Force
- University of Texas at Austin