Abstract:
The magnitude and sign of the anode potential fall are determined primarily by the electron kinetics. In the high-current mode, in which electron-electron collisions determine the Maxwell distribution function, the anode has a negative charge relative to the plasma; due to the depletion of the tail of the distribution, the anode fall (AF) decreases as compared to the magnitude according to Langmuir. In the low-current mode, the AF sign is determined by the regime of movement of ions in the volume discharge sheath: the AF is also negative when the motion of ions is collisionless and is positive when ion-atom collisions prevail.
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