Influence of radiation resorption on criteria of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium

Abstract

The emission of radiation from a plasma volume upsets the Boltzmann equilibrium. A number of authors have proposed criteria for approximate testing of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium on the basis of collision and radiation processes. However, those criteria give excessive values, because they do not take into account radiation resorption, which can “moderate” the test conditions. The present article is concerned with the influence of radiation resorption on the criterion of the existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium in a low-temperature plasma. The domain of existence of local thermodynamic equilibrium (in the sense of Saha-Boltzmann equilibrium) is calculated for electric arcs.