Magnetosheath effects on cylindrical Langmuir probes. Memorandum report

Technical Report · Tue Oct 23 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:5217000

Szuszczewicz, E P; Takacs, P Z

The response of cylindrical Langmuir probes in magnetoplasmas is studied from a perspective which focuses on the relative magnitudes of Larmor radius and sheath size. The approach results in a classification for magnetic field effects which involves not only the magnetic field strength but also the plasma parameters of density, temperature, and the applied probe potential. We specifically show that a 0.25 G field can have similar effects on the current collection properties of the probe in an ionospheric plasma N sub e approx. = 1,000,000/cu cm. as a 30 kG field would have in a hot, dense laboratory plasma N sub e approx. = 10 to the 15th power/cu. cm. The classifications are found to agree with new experimental results collected in an ionospheric plasma. The data also show: the effects of probe orientation on electron current collection from magnetoplasmas; that these effects can be important even when the electron Larmor radius is larger than the radius of the probe; and that substantial magnetic field effects occur when the probe's sheath is comparable to or greater than the Larmor radius.

• Research Organization: Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5217000
• Report Number(s): AD-A-077043
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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Ionospheric
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71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
EARTH ATMOSPHERE
ELECTRIC PROBES
IONOSPHERE
LANGMUIR PROBE
LARMOR RADIUS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PERFORMANCE
PLANETARY IONOSPHERES
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA SHEATH
PROBES