Theory of electrostatic stagnation point probes in a low-density flowing continuum plasma. II. The effects of the Knudsen number

For pt.I see ibid., vol.9, p.2349 (1976). The continuum stagnation point electrostatic probe theory of pt.I has been extended for a finite-charged-particle mean free path under continuum neutral flow conditions. The numerical results show that: (1) an effective Knudsen number smaller than 10 -2 is required for continuum conditions; (2) the influence of effective Knudsen number increases with diffusion Reynolds number; (3) the influence of effective Knudsen number increases with retarding surface potentials and decreases with increasing attracting surface potential; (4) the usual retarding potential method for temperature determination will lead to an increasing overestimate of T e as the effective Knudsen number decreases; (5) the effect of effective Knudsen number is to smooth the 'knee' of the probe characteristic and to render more imprecise the determination of space potential.