Kinetic simulation of a source dominated plasma-wall interaction in an oblique magnetic field

The strongly inhomogeneous region of plasma-wall interaction in the presenc e of an oblique magnetic field, exhibits many complexities in its kinetic b ehavior. The normal flows develop due to the presence of strong E x B drift and its shear. Other kinetic features present in such systems include open orbits, orbits trapped against the wall and orbits that are strongly defor med due to the strong electric fields present near the sheath edge. Such ef fects need to be modeled kinetically for the exact boundary conditions at t he entrance of plasma boundary layer [J. Phys. D 24 (1991) 493]. In the pre sent work, an extensive kinetic simulation of region of magnetized plasma-w all interaction, sustained self-consistently by a Maxwellian source is done . The singular behavior of kinetic equation in the small parallel electric- field region [Comm. Plasma Phys. Control. Fus. 16(1995) 255] is handled by incorporating a weak collisionality in the ions. A spatially resolved three -dimensional ion velocity distribution function is calculated on a regularl y spaced velocity space grid, utilizing the time reversibility of character istics of the Boltzmann equation inside the region of interaction. It is ob served that the normal flow indeed develops from a parallel flow because of the shear in E x B flow in case of an oblique incidence. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.