Vaporization of heated materials into discharge plasmas

The vaporization of condensed materials in contact with high-current discha rge plasmas is considered. A kinetic numerical method named direct simulati on Monte Carlo (DSMC) and analytical kinetic approaches based on the bimoda l distribution function approximation are employed. The solution of the kin etic layer problem depends upon the velocity at the outer boundary of the k inetic layer which varies from very small, corresponding to the high-densit y plasma near the evaporated surface, up to the sound speed, corresponding to evaporation into vacuum. The heavy particles density and temperature at the kinetic and hydrodynamic layer interface were obtained by the analytica l method while DSMC calculation makes it possible to obtain the evolution o f the particle distribution function within the kinetic layer and the layer thickness. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.