Electrical discharges in mercury vapour in a magnetic field

Abstract

Langmuir probe method is applied to determine the n? and T? of a low-density, collisional plasma in mercury vapour under moderate magnetic field strengths. The charge density evaluated by Bohm's method and the orbital method are in good agreement. The influence of the magnetic field on the positive ion saturation current part of the probe characteristics due to channeling effect and subsequent error in the estimation of the charge density is less than 20%. Electron temperature has been found to remain more or less constant in the presence of the magnetic field.