Joining sheath to plasma in electronegative gases at low pressures using matched asymptotic approximations

Abstract

The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to examine the structure of the plasma sheath of the positive column at low pressure in electronegative gases using the fluid model to describe the positive-ion motion. It is shown that at low negative-ion concentrations, and at high concentrations, the structure is that of a plasma joined to a thin sheath, but that for the electron/negative-ion temperature ratio Te/Tn ≡ ε > 5 + √24, and for a well-defined range of A ≡ nn0/ne0 (the central negative ion to electron density ratio) and for small Debye length, there is a more complex structure with a central negative-ion-dominated plasma surrounded by a quasiplasma in which density oscillations may occur before joining to a sheath. This is in agreement with recent computations using the same model.