Dual – Temperature Electron distribution in a Laboratory Plasma

Abstract

The dual-temperature distribution function is used to investigate theoretically the effect of a perturbation of Maxwell distribution function on density ratios in a laboratory plasma produced solely by collision. By assuming a foreknowledge of collision coefficients and cross-sections and an atomic model which sets at two statistical weights for all states including continuum, calculations show that a collision transition between close neighbouring levels is of more significance than that between widely separated or non-neighbouring levels; also population and electron densities in plasma do not only depend on the energy distribution of free electrons but on both the excitation and binding energies of the atomic levels.

KEYWORDS: Dual – temperature distribution function, Maxwell distribution function, Perturbation, Density ratios, Laboratory plasma, Collision transition.