With the continuing progress of plasma modelling in recent years the desire arose to develop simplified approaches to the kinetic description of the electron component in weakly ionized plasmas. Methods which are based on the direct solution of the Boltzmann equation in some limiting situations, namely the `nonlocal' approximation in a weakly collisional plasma and the `local' approximation in a highly collisional plasma, may be much more efficient than conventional simulation techniques. In this paper the foundation of these approaches is reviewed. Their quantitative accuracy and their applicable range is examined on the basis of a comparison to the numerical solution of the complete, space-dependent Boltzmann equation for a positive column plasma.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0963-0252/5/1/001/pdf

On simplifying approaches to the solution of the Boltzmann equation in spatially inhomogeneous plasmas

This article is divided into five parts according to the mathematical method used, rather than according to the physical situation. In part I we attempt to follow the motion of an individual particle under a Lorentz force including the effects of gradients of the magnetic field. This is no longer possible with the introduction of collisions in part II, but one may yet follow the motion of an average particle. One is then tempted to expect that a swarm of particles will have the behavior of the average particle, and this is remarkably close to the truth for high values of E/p, the ratio of the continuous to the stochastic force, and has the advantage of being more intuitive than the distribution function methods which follow.

Motions of Ions and Electrons

Plasma modelling is an exciting subject in which virtually all physical disciplines are represented. Plasma models combine the electromagnetic, statistical and fluid dynamical theories that have their roots in the 19th century with the modern insights concerning the structure of matter that were developed throughout the 20th century. The present cluster issue consists of 20 invited contributions, which are representative of the state of the art in plasma modelling and numerical simulation. These contributions provide an in-depth discussion of the major theories and modelling and simulation strategies, and their applications to contemporary plasma-based technologies. In this editorial review, we introduce and complement those papers by providing a bird’s eye perspective on plasma modelling and discussing the historical context in which it has surfaced.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0022-3727/42/19/190301/pdf

Plasma modelling and numerical simulation

The field of electron kinetics in extremely nonequilibrium glow discharge plasma is reviewed, starting from the classical works of Langmuir. It is shown that it is only in terms of kinetics that many aspects of nonequilibrium plasma — such as the structure of near-electrode regions, spatial profiles of ionization and luminosity, striations and particle and energy flows — can be adequately understood.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3367/UFNe.0180.201002b.0139/pdf

Nonlocal electron kinetics in gas-discharge plasma

1 Introduction 2 Electromagnetic interactions of charged particles with matter 3 Interactions of photons and neutrons with matter 4 Drift and diffusion of charges in gases 5 Collisional excitations and charge multiplication in uniform fields 6 Parallel plate counters 7 Proportional counters 8 Multiwire proportional chambers 9 Drift chambers 10 Time projection chambers 11 Multitube arrays 12 Resistive plate chambers 13 Micro-pattern gas detectors 14 Cherenkov ring imaging 15 Miscellaneous detectors and applications 16 Time degeneracy and aging Further reading References Index

E. S. Lamar

Papers

Velocity Distributions for Elastically Colliding Electrons