Dissociation and ionization balance in the weakly ionized hydrogen column plasma based on the diffusion theory. 1

After the discussion of the main reaction mechanisms as ionization, dissociation, dissociative recombination, ion-molecule-reactions and chemical reactions between neutral particles a system of balance equations for the ions H+, H2+, H3+, and H5+, for the atoms, for the mixture of neutral particles, for charge neutrality and the discharge current is given in the framework of the diffusion theory. The numerical method for the solution of this system is explained. In the following parts of this paper detailed results of the numerical calculation will be discussed in comparison with some experimental investigations. (author)