Probe measurements of electron temperature and density in strongly magnetized plasma

It was demonstrated that with increasing probe length the electron saturati on current becomes more independent of the probe potential. This provides h igher accuracy of measurements of the electron density and plasma potential in a strongly magnetized plasma (B > 0.1 T). Long probes oriented parallel to the magnetic field yield better spatial resolution in the perpendicular direction. Parallel probes, however, are very sensitive to alignment error s. To avoid this problem, a cylindrical probe with a side surface coated by a thin insulating layer is proposed. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physic s. [S0034-6748(00)00809-1].