Gas Discharge Physics

1. Introduction.- 1.1 What Is the Subject of Gas Discharge Physics.- 1.2 Typical Discharges in a Constant Electric Field.- 1.3 Classification of Discharges.- 1.4 Brief History of Electric Discharge Research.- 1.5 Organization of the Book. Bibliography.- 2. Drift, Energy and Diffusion of Charged Particles in Constant Fields.- 2.1 Drift of Electrons in a Weakly Ionized Gas.- 2.2 Conduction of Ionized Gas.- 2.3 Electron Energy.- 2.4 Diffusion of Electrons.- 2.5 Ions.- 2.6 Ambipolar Diffusion.- 2.7 Electric Current in Plasma in the Presence of Longitudinal Gradients of Charge Density.- 2.8 Hydrodynamic Description of Electrons.- 3. Interaction of Electrons in an Ionized Gas with Oscillating Electric Field and Electromagnetic Waves.- 3.1 The Motion of Electrons in Oscillating Fields.- 3.2 Electron Energy.- 3.3 Basic Equations of Electrodynamics of Continuous Media.- 3.4 High-Frequency Conductivity and Dielectric Permittivity of Plasma.- 3.5 Propagation of Electromagnetic, Waves in Plasmas.- 3.6 Total Reflection of Electromagnetic Waves from Plasma and Plasma Oscillations.- 4. Production and Decay of Charged Particles.- 4.1 Electron Impact Ionization in a Constant Field.- 4.2 Other Ionization Mechanisms.- 4.3 Bulk Recombination.- 4.4 Formation and Decay of Negative Ions.- 4.5 Diffusional Loss of Charges.- 4.6 Electron Emission from Solids.- 4.7 Multiplication of Charges in a Gas via Secondary Emission.- 5. Kinetic Equation for Electrons in a Weakly Ionized Gas Placed in an Electric Field.- 5.1 Description of Electron Processes in Terms of the Velocity Distribution Function.- 5.2 Formulation of the Kinetic Equation.- 5.3 Approximation for the Angular Dependence of the Distribution Function.- 5.4 Equation of the Electron Energy Spectrum.- 5.5 Validity Criteria for the Spectrum Equation.- 5.6 Comparison of Some Conclusions Implied by the Kinetic Equation with the Result of Elementary Theory.- 5.7 Stationary Spectrum of Electrons in a Field in the Case of only Elastic Losses.- 5.8 Numerical Results for Nitrogen and Air.- 5.9 Spatially Nonuniform Fields of Arbitrary Strength.- 6. Electric Probes.- 6.1 Introduction. Electric Circuit.- 6.2 Current-Voltage Characteristic of a Single Probe.- 6.3 Theoretical Foundations of Electronic Current Diagnostics of Rarefied Plasmas.- 6.4 Procedure for Measuring the Distribution Function.- 6.5 Ionic Current to a Probe in Rarefied Plasma.- 6.6 Vacuum Diode Current and Space-Charge Layer Close to a Charged Body.- 6.7 Double Probe.- 6.8 Probe in a High-Pressure Plasma.- 7. Breakdown of Gases in Fields of Various Frequency Ranges.- 7.1 Essential Characteristics of the Phenomenon.- 7.2 Breakdown and Triggering of Self-Sustained Discharge in a Constant Homogeneous Field at Moderately Large Product of Pressure and Discharge Gap Width.- 7.3 Breakdown in Microwave Fields and Interpretation of Experimental Data Using the Elementary Theory.- 7.4 Calculation of Ionization Frequencies and Breakdown Thresholds Using the Kinetic Equation.- 7.5 Optical Breakdown.- 7.6 Methods of Exciting an RF Field in a Discharge Volume.- 7.7 Breakdown in RF and Low-Frequency Ranges.- 8. Stable Glow Discharge.- 8.1 General Structure and Observable Features.- 8.2 Current-Voltage Characteristic of Discharge Between Electrodes.- 8.3 Dark Discharge and the Role Played by Space Charge in the Formation of the Cathode Layer.- 8.4 Cathode Layer.- 8.5 Transition Region Between the Cathode Layer and the Homogeneous Positive Column.- 8.6 Positive Column.- 8.7 Heating of the Gas and Its Effect on the Current-Voltage Characteristic.- 8.8 Electronegative Gas Plasma.- 8.9 Discharge in Fast Gas Flow.- 8.10 Anode Layer.- 9. Glow Discharge Instabilities and Their Consequences.- 9.1 Causes and Consequences of Instabilities.- 9.2 Quasisteady Parameters.- 9.3 Field and Electron Temperature Perturbations in the Case of Quasisteady-State Te.- 9.4 Thermal Instability.- 9.5 Attachment Instability.- 9.6 Some Other Frequently Encountered Destabilizing Mechanisms.- 9.7 Striations.- 9.8 Contraction of the Positive Column.- 10. Arc Discharge.- 10.1 Definition and Characteristic Features of Arc Discharge.- 10.2 Arc Types.- 10.3 Arc Initiation.- 10.4 Carbon Arc in Free Air.- 10.5 Hot Cathode Arc: Processes near the Cathode.- 10.6 Cathode Spots and Vacuum Arc.- 10.7 Anode Region.- 10.8 Low-Pressure Arc with Externally Heated Cathode.- 10.9 Positive Column of High-Pressure Arc (Experimental Data).- 10.10 Plasma Temperature and V - i Characteristic of High-Pressure Arc Columns.- 10.11 The Gap Between Electron and Gas Temperatures in Plasma.- 11. Suslainment and Production of Equilibrium Plasma by Fields in Various Frequency Ranges.- 11.1 Introduction. Energy Balance in Plasma.- 11.2 Arc Column in a Constant Field.- 11.3 Inductively Coupled Radio-Frequency Discharge.- 11.4 Discharge in Microwave Fields.- 11.5 Continuous Optical Discharges.- 11.6 Plasmatrons: Generators of Dense Low-Temperature Plasma.- 12. Spark and Corona Discharges.- 12.1 General Concepts.- 12.2 Individual Electron Avalanche.- 12.3 Concept of Streamers.- 12.4 Breakdown and Streamers in Electronegative Gases (Air) in Moderately Wide Gaps with a Uniform Field.- 12.5 Spark Channel.- 12.6 Corona Discharge.- 12.7 Models of Streamer Propagation.- 12.8 Breakdown in Long Air Gaps with Strongly Nonuniform Fields (Experimental Data).- 12.9 Leader Mechanism of Breakdown of Long Gaps.- 12.10 Return Wave (Return Stroke).- 12.11 Lightning.- 12.12 Negative Stepped Leader.- 13. Capacitively Coupled Radio-Frequency Discharge.- 13.1 Drift Oscillations of Electron Gas.- 13.2 Idealized Model of the Passage of High-Frequency Current Through a Long Plane Gap at Elevated Pressures.- 13.3 V - i Characteristic of Homogeneous Positive Columns.- 13.4 Two Forms of CCRF Discharge Realization and Constant Positive Potential of Space: Experiment.- 13.5 Electrical Processes in a Nonconducting Electrode Layer and the Mechanism of Closing the Circuit Current.- 13.6 Constant Positive Potential of the Weak-Current Discharge Plasma.- 13.7 High-Current Mode.- 13.8 The Structure of a Medium-Pressure Discharge: Results of Numerical Modeling.- 13.9 Normal Current Density in Weak-Current Mode and Limits on the Existence of this Mode.- 14. Discharges in High-Power CW CO2 Lasers.- 14.1 Principles of Operation of Electric-Discharge CO2 Lasers.- 14.2 Two Methods of Heat Removal from Lasers.- 14.3 Methods of Suppressing Instabilities.- 14.4 Organization of Large-Volume Discharges Involving Gas Pumping.- References.