Fluid-like transport variables in a kinetic, collisionless plasma near a surface with ion and electron reflection

Transport variables of the positive ions and electrons in the presheath and sheath of a plasma near a wall that partially reflects ions and electrons are determined from a kinetic analysis. Because velocity distributions of t he ions and electrons near the wall are highly non-Maxwell-Boltzmann distri butions, accurate predictions of transport variables, such as density, flui d velocity, mean pressure, fluid-like viscous stress, and conduction, requi re kinetic analysis. The results find that dimensionless transport variable s of ions and electrons in the presheath and sheath can be exactly expresse d in terms of transcendental functions determined by dimensionless independ ent parameters of ion and electron reflectivities of the wall, ion-to-elect ron mass ratio, charge number, and electron-to-ion temperature ratio at the presheath edge. The effects of the parameters on transport variables at th e wall are also obtained, The computed transport variables in the presheath and sheath show agreement with available theoretical data for a completely absorbing wall.