On the Determination of Electron Temperature in Diffusion-Dominated Non-L.T.E. Plasmas

Abstract

Population densities of atomic hydrogen levels have been calculated for homogeneous stationary and diffusion-dominated stationary plasmas. The results show strong overpopulation of the lower lying excited states when the actual number density of ground state atoms is larger than the density obtained for the homogeneous stationary state. At low electron and high ground state densities the so-called Boltzmann slope is not further a characteristic quantity for the determination of electron temperatures, since the slope constant changes with quantum number. - The partial L.T.E. condition for diffusion-dominated plasmas is reexamined.