Plasma

CONTENT
S
1.Nature of Plasma
2.Calculating argon’s plasma parameters
 Nature of
0
Plasma
1
 Definition

Plasma is called the fourth state of matter after

solid, liquid, and gas. It is a state of matter in which
an ionized substance becomes highly electrically
conductive to the point that long-range electric and
magnetic fields dominate its behaviour.

- In most molecules or atoms, only the nucleus

remains; Electrons move relatively freely
between the nuclei.

- Plasma can be artificially generated, for

example, by heating a neutral gas or subjecting
it to a strong electromagnetic field that an
ionized gas becomes increasingly conductive.
 Properties

- Plasma is typically an electrically quasi neutral medium of unbound positive and

negative particles (i.e. the overall charge of a plasma is roughly zero). Although these
particles are unbound, they are not "free" in the sense of not experiencing forces.
Moving charged particles generate electric currents, and any movement of a charged
plasma particle affects and is affected by the fields created by the other charges.

- Positive charges in ions forms when electrons are removed from around the atomic
nucleus. These electrons are all related to the local density or increased temperature of
the ionized matter. Accompanying the process of removing electrons is the dissociation
of bonds in the molecule.
Plasma is distinct from the other states of matter. In particular, describing
a low-density plasma as merely an "ionized gas" is wrong and
misleading, even though it is similar to the gas phase in that both assume
no definite shape or volume. The following table summarizes some
principal differences:

03
 Ideal Plasma
Three factors define an ideal plasma:

● The Plasma approximation: This factor is applied to determine plasma in cases where
the parameter of the plasma represents the number of charged particles in the Debye
sphere. The approximate plasma must be high enough to avoid electrostatic influence
from particles outside the sphere. At the same time, there must be a radius equal to the
Debye screening length surrounding the given charged particle.

● Bulk interactions: The Debye length is much smaller than the physical size of the plasma.
This criterion means that interactions in the bulk of the plasma are more important than
those at its edges, where boundary effects may take place. When this criterion is
satisfied, the plasma is quasineutral.

● Collisionlessness: The electron plasma frequency (measuring plasma oscillations of the

electrons) is much larger than the electron–neutral collision frequency. When this
condition is valid, electrostatic interactions dominate over the processes of ordinary gas
kinetics. Such plasmas are called collisionless
 Temperature

● Plasma temperature, commonly measured in kelvin or electron volts, is a

measure of the thermal kinetic energy per particle. High temperatures are
usually needed to sustain ionization, which is a defining feature of a plasma.
At low temperatures, ions and electrons tend to recombine into bound states
—atoms—and the plasma will eventually become a gas.
● For plasma to exist, ionization is necessary. High temperature is an important
factor to help maintain ionization.
● In most cases, the electrons are close enough to thermal equilibrium that
their temperature is relatively well defined. Because of the large difference in
mass, electrons themselves reach thermodynamic equilibrium much faster
than equilibrium with neutral ions or atoms. For this reason, the ion
temperature can be very different from (usually lower than) the electron
temperature. This is especially common in weakly ionized technological
plasmas, where the ions are often near ambient temperature.
 Density and ionization degree
The term "plasma density" by itself usually refers to the electron density that
is, the number of charge-contributing electrons per unit volume. The degree of
ionization is defined as fraction of neutral particles that are ionized:

ne: the number of electrons per unit volume

Depending on the temperature and density of the plasma medium, partially
ionized or fully ionized plasma forms can be generated.

The degree of ionization of a plasma is the ratio of atoms that lose or gain
electrons and is controlled by the electron and ion temperatures and the
frequency of electron-ion versus electron-neutral collisions.

● Total ionization occurs when the plasma is in the Coulomb collision-

dominated regime: that is, the electron-ion collision frequency is greater
than the electron-neutral collision frequency.

● Partial ionization (weak gas): plasma is not governed by Coulomb

collisions. The electron-ion collision frequency is smaller than the
electron-neutral collision frequency.

Technological plasmas are mostly partially ionized plasmas.

 Low and high temperature plasma
If ionization occurs by receiving energy from external material streams, such as from
electromagnetic radiation, the plasma is also called Low temperature plasma(< 70,000
degrees Celsius).

For example, in an electric discharge in a gas, electrons shoot out from the cathode,
ionizing some neutral molecules.The newly separated electrons move rapidly in the
electric field and continue to ionize other molecules. Due to this chain ionization
phenomenon, most of the molecules in the gas are ionized, and the gas changes to a
plasma state. In the composition of this type of plasma, there are positive ions, negative
ions, electrons and neutral molecules..

If ionization occurs due to thermal collisions between molecules or atoms at high

temperatures, the plasma is also called High temperature plasma (> 70,000 – several
billion degrees). As the temperature gradually increases, electrons are separated from
the atoms, and if the temperature is quite large, all the atoms are ionized. At very high
temperatures, atoms are extremely ionized, leaving only the nuclei and electrons
separated from the nuclei.
 Thermal plasma and non-thermal
plasma
(According to thermal equilibrium)

Depending on the relative temperatures of electrons, ions, and neutrals,

plasmas are classified as "thermal" or "non-thermal" (also known as "cold
plasmas").

- Thermal plasmas have electrons and heavy particles at the same

temperature, i.e. they are in thermal equilibrium with each other.

- Non-thermal plasmas, on the other hand, are non-equilibrium ionized

gases, with two temperatures: ion and neutral at low temperature
(sometimes room temperature), while electrons are much hotter.
 Plasma potential
Since plasmas are very good electrical conductors, electric potentials play an important
role. The average potential in the space between charged particles is called the "plasma
potential", or the "space potential"

The magnitude of the potentials and electric fields must be determined by means other
than simply finding the net charge density. A common example is to assume that the
electrons satisfy the Boltzmann relation:

● n_e: mật độ electron

● e: điện tích của electron
● Φ: điện thế plasma
● k_B: hằng số Boltzmann
● T_e: nhiệt độ electron
Differentiating this relation provides a means to calculate the electric field from the
density:

● E: cường độ điện trường

● k_B: hằng số Boltzmann
● T_e: nhiệt độ electron
● e: điện tích của electron
● ∇n_e: gradient của mật độ electron
● n_e: mật độ electron
 Magnetization
Plasma with a magnetic field strong enough to affect the movement of charged particles is
said to be magnetized. A common quantitative criterion is that on average a particle
completes at least one rotation around the magnetic field before making a collision. It is often
the case that the electrons are magnetized while the ions are not.

Magnetized plasmas are anisotropic, meaning that their properties in the direction parallel to
the magnetic field are different from those perpendicular to it. While electric fields in plasmas
are usually small due to the plasma high conductivity, the electric field associated with a
plasma moving with velocity 𝑣 in the magnetic field, 𝐵 is given by the usual Lorentz
formula: 𝐸 = −𝑣×𝐵, and is not affected by Debye shielding.
Calculating
argon
plasma
parameters 02
 To calculate argon plasma parameters, people often use equations and
models based on basic physical principles. Below are some main
calculation bases:

Plasma density (n):

- Calculation is based on the Saha equation, which relates temperature and pressure.
- Use kinetic models, such as the Boltzmann model, to describe the energy distribution of
particles.
Electron temperature (Te) and ion temperature (Ti):
- Use the energy equation, which involves energy exchange processes between electrons,
ions, and neutrals.
- Apply models such as the two-temperature model to calculate the difference between Te
and Ti.
Plasma potential (Φ):
- Calculation is based on charge balance conditions, using Poisson's equation.
- Apply the Debye shell model to determine the plasma potential.
Debye length (λD):
- Calculated from the Debye length definition, related to plasma density and temperature
Plasma frequency (ωp):
- Calculated from the definition of plasma frequency, related to electron density.
Collision frequency (ν):
- Calculations are based on collision models, such as Coulomb collision and neutral collision
models.
- Use experimental data on cross-sectional areas of collision processes
Magnetic field (B):
- Calculations are based on electromagnetic equations, such as Maxwell's equations.
- Apply models of the influence of magnetic fields on the motion of plasma particles.

These equations and models are used to calculate argon plasma parameters based on specific
conditions, such as temperature, pressure, and energy source. Accurate calculation of plasma
parameters is important in many applications of argon plasma.