Abstract
An asymptotic theory of ambipolar diffusion (AD) in slightly ionised bounded plasmas, based on utilisation of the small parameter in =rD2/L2(rD is the Debye length and L is a characteristic dimension of the system) and employing general assumptions about the geometry of the system and about the rates of elementary processes, is presented in an easily accessible way. This theory leads in some cases (e.g. in the problem of the Hall effect in diffusion-controlled bounded plasmas) to results which differ essentially from those following from the elementary theory of AD due to Schottky. The problem of spreading of inhomogeneities in an unbounded plasma is also discussed in the framework of this asymptotic theory for a realistic and an exactly solvable case allowing one to formulate a self-similar solution not employing the ambipolar diffusion approximation.
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