A simple model for electron temperature in dilute plasma flows

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-1-2016

Abstract

� 2016 Author(s). In this short note, we present some work on investigating electron temperatures and potentials in steady dilute plasma flows. The analysis is based on the detailed fluid model for electrons. Ionizations, normalized electron number density gradients, and magnetic fields are neglected. The transport properties are assumed as local constants. With these treatments, the partial differential equation for electron temperature degenerates as an ordinary differential equation. Along an electron streamline, two simple formulas for electron temperature and plasma potential are obtained. These formulas offer some insights, e.g., the electron temperature and plasma potential distributions along an electron streamline include two exponential functions, and the one for plasma potential includes an extra linear distribution function.

Publication Title

Physics of Plasmas

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