Gas discharges and non-equilibrium low-temperature plasmas form the basis for most plasma technologies. This book introduces engineering and science students to the basic underlying physics and chemistry concepts that form the foundation of plasma science and engineering. It is an accessible primer directed primarily at those students who are unaware what a plasma or gas discharge is, nor have fundamental backgrounds in statistical thermodynamics, gas dynamics, fluid dynamics, or solid-state physics to effectively understand many plasma and gas discharge principles. The second edition covers additional topics such as gas breakdown leading to plasma initiation and the formation of sheaths, and discusses these within the context of a basic description of the most common plasma type, a dc glow discharge. This text is suitable for upper level undergraduate students, graduate students, and young researchers in physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, and mechanical engineering with interest in plasma science and engineering. Part of IOP Series in Plasma Physics.
Author(s): David B. Go
Series: IOP Series in Plasma Physics
Publisher: IOP Publishing
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 146
City: Bristol
PRELIMS.pdf
Preface
Acknowledgement
Author biography
David B Go
CH001.pdf
Chapter 1 Introduction
1.1 Overview
1.2 Classification of gas discharges
1.3 Summary
CH002.pdf
Chapter 2 Foundations from gas dynamics
2.1 The atom, the molecule, and excited states
2.2 The statistics of a gas
2.3 Kinetics
2.3.1 Collision theory
2.3.2 Equilibrium behavior
2.4 Summary
References
CH003.pdf
Chapter 3 Elementary electron behavior
3.1 Electron-driven gaseous reactions
3.1.1 Elastic collisions
3.1.2 Excitation collisions
3.1.3 Ionization collisions
3.2 Electron–neutral collisions and the collision cross-section
3.2.1 The nature of electron collisions
3.2.2 Differential collision cross-section
3.2.3 Elementary collision dynamics
3.2.4 Realistic collision cross-sections
3.3 Electron energy distribution
3.4 Electron collision frequency and reaction rates
3.5 Summary
References
CH004.pdf
Chapter 4 Gaseous ionization processes
4.1 Electron-impact ionization
4.1.1 Temporal electron avalanche
4.1.2 Spatial electron avalanche
4.1.3 Townsend’s first ionization coefficient α
4.2 Ion-impact ionization
4.3 Photoionization
4.4 Thermal ionization
4.5 Step ionization
4.6 Penning ionization
4.7 Electron attachment
4.8 Summary
References
CH005.pdf
Chapter 5 Electrode processes
5.1 Importance of electron emission
5.2 Foundational concepts
5.2.1 The solid state
5.2.2 Fermi–Dirac distribution and the work function
5.3 General electron emission
5.3.1 Thermionic emission
5.3.2 Photoemission
5.3.3 Field emission
5.4 Secondary emission
5.4.1 Ion-induced secondary emission
5.4.2 Secondary emission coefficient γ
5.4.3 Metastable-induced secondary emission
5.5 Summary
References
CH006.pdf
Chapter 6 Foundations from general transport theory
6.1 Basics of transport
6.1.1 Application of kinetics to transport
6.2 Transport equations
6.2.1 Continuum perspective—scalar transport equation
6.2.2 Kinetic perspective—Boltzmann transport equation
6.2.3 From the Boltzmann transport equation to macroscopic properties
6.3 Summary
References
CH007.pdf
Chapter 7 Transport equations for gas discharges
7.1 Equations for the charged particles
7.1.1 Particle/charge conservation
7.1.2 Momentum conservation
7.1.3 Energy conservation
7.1.4 Electric field
7.2 The drift–diffusion approximation
7.3 Summary
References
CH008.pdf
Chapter 8 Discharge initiation and plasma formation
8.1 Townsend behavior below the breakdown threshold
8.2 Pressure times distance and reduced electric field scaling
8.3 Breakdown
8.3.1 Townsend breakdown
8.3.2 Streamer breakdown
8.4 Summary
References
CH009.pdf
Chapter 9 The basic discharge structure
9.1 The sheath and the plasma
9.2 The physics of the sheath
9.2.1 Debye length
9.2.2 The potential field in the sheath
9.3 Summary
References
CH010.pdf
Chapter 10 The classical dc discharge
10.1 The basics of electrical circuits
10.2 dc discharge circuit and operation
10.2.1 The canonical current–voltage curve
10.2.2 The discharge circuit
10.3 Properties of the dc glow discharge
10.3.1 The cathode fall
10.4 Summary
References
CH011.pdf
Chapter 11 Whence and whither
11.1 What was learned
11.2 What is next
