Plasma sheath and presheath development near a partially reflective surface

Abstract

This work addresses one-dimensional evolution of a collisionless plasma next to a solid surface that is immersed into the plasma instantaneously. In particular, we consider how the self-similar rarefaction wave establishes dynamically and how the electron reflection from the surface modifies the structure of the rarefaction wave and the Debye sheath. Here, we demonstrate that a sufficiently strong reflection eliminates the Debye sheath and changes the wall potential and the plasma flow parameters significantly. The paper presents numerical results that illustrate the developed analytical theory.