Effect of trapped ions and nonequilibrium electron-energy distribution function on dust-particle charging in gas discharges

Abstract

Dust-particles charging in a low-pressure glow discharge was investigated theoretically. The dust-particle charge was found on the basis of a developed self-consistent model taking into account the nonequilibrium character of electron distribution function and the formation of an ionic coat composed of bound or trapped ions around the dust particle. The dust-particle charge, the radial distributions of electron density, free and trapped ions densities, and the distribution of electrostatic potential were found. It was shown that the non-Maxwellian electron distribution function and collisional flux of trapped ions both reduce the dust-particle charge in comparison with that received with the help of the conventional orbital motion limited (OML) model. However, in rare collisional regimes in plasma when the collisional flux is negligible, the formation of ionic coat around a particle leads to a shielding of the proper charge of a dust particle. In low-pressure experiments, it is only possible to detect the effective charge of a dust particle that is equal to the difference between the proper charge of the particle and the charge of trapped ions. The calculated effective dust particle charge is in fairly good agreement with the experimental measurements of dust-particle charge dependence on gas pressure.