Fokker-Planck description of particle charging in ionized gases

Themis Matsoukas, Marc Russell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

64 Scopus citations

Abstract

We present a Fokker-Planck description of the charging of particles weakly in ionized gases and of the charge fluctuations arising from the statistical nature of this process. Charge fluctuations constitute a Markov process and in the limit of linear charging currents or large particles this process is also Gaussian. The time scale of fluctuations is inversely proportional to the particle size and ion concentration and for small particles it is significantly larger than the particle diffusion time. In this regime Brownian diffusion becomes a mechanism by which charge fluctuations are transported into different regions of the plasma.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)991-994
Number of pages4
JournalPhysical Review E - Statistical Physics, Plasmas, Fluids, and Related Interdisciplinary Topics
Volume55
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1997

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
  • Statistics and Probability
  • Condensed Matter Physics

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