2021/07/01 by Maximilian Klich, Klich, Maximilian, Sebastian Wilczek +5
Engineering · Medicine · Physics and Astronomy · #Dust and Plasma Wave Phenomena #FOS: Physical sciences #Plasma Applications and Diagnostics #Plasma Diagnostics and Applications #Plasma Physics (physics.plasm-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2107.00252
openalex publication_date 2021/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Radio-frequency-driven atmospheric pressure plasma jets (RF APPJs) play an essential role in many technological applications. This work studies the characteristics of these discharges in the so-called non-neutral regime where the conventional structure of a quasi-neutral bulk and an electron depleted sheath does not develop, and the electrons are instead organized in a drift-soliton-like structure that never reaches quasi-neutrality. A hybrid particle-in-cell/Monte Carlo collisions (PIC/MCC) simulation is set up, which combines a fully kinetic electron model via the PIC/MCC algorithm with a drift-diffusion model for the ions. In addition, an analytical model for the electron dynamics is formulated. The formation of the soliton-like structure and the connection between the soliton and the electron dynamics are investigated. The location of the electron group follows a drift equation, while the spatial shape can be described by Poisson-Boltzmann equilibrium in a co-moving frame. A stability analysis is conducted using the Lyapunov method and a linear stability analysis. A comparison of the numerical simulation with the analytical models yields a good agreement.