Can the temperature of electrons in a high-pressure plasma be determined by means of an electrostatic probe?

The ion blanch of a current-voltage characteristic of a Langmuir probe in a high-pressure plasma is theoretically analysed. In a wide range of conditi ons, perturbations created by the probe current are localized in a thin nea r-wall layer and a semi-logarithmic plot of the dependence of the electron current on the probe potential is close to a straight line. The value of th e electron temperature that can be determined from this plot refers to the edge of the above-mentioned near-wall layer. A range of plasma parameters e xists in which a variation of the electron temperature in the near-probe re gion is small and the above value is close to the electron temperature in t he undisturbed plasma. Numerical calculation of the ion saturation current to, and the floating potential of, a wall probe in a cylindrical tube confi ning an are discharge is presented.