About the photoemission of electrons from the surface of a spherical dust particle in gas discharge plasma

Abstract

The work is devoted to the calculation of the flux of resonance photons from the volume of gas discharge plasma of cylindrical and spherical geometries onto the surface of a spherical dust particle, which determines the photoemission from the particle surface. The flux of resonance photons is calculated with the account of the radiation trapping. This problem has been considered for the first time. It is shown that in the case of a cylindrical plasma volume, the flux density of resonance photons saturates at a column length of about ten discharge tube radii. In plasma of a spherical volume, the flux increases with an increase in the plasma radius. The equations that allow calculating these fluxes for micron-sized particles are shown in a lucid form. The fluxes of resonance photons, electrons, and metastable atoms are compared for typical conditions of dusty plasma in a glow discharge. It is shown that under the real discharge conditions the flux density of resonance photons can be comparable or even exceed the fluxes of charged particles and metastable atoms.