THE RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF SPACE-CHARGE IN A THERMALLY PRODUCED PLASMA

The response to a voltage step of a thermally produced plasma, bounded by electron-rich sheaths and confined between incandescent electrodes, is examined. It is shown that, following the application of a voltage step, there is a rapid development of a positive space-charge layer adjacent to the negative space-charge layer on the cathode. The self-consistent potential profile between the electrode is calculated, treating the ions as a stationary uniform background and the theoretical relationship between the step voltage and consequent-step current is obtained.