Neutral gas heating in helium microplasmas

The present study details a self-consistent model of charged and neutral particle dynamics which is applied to atmospheric small-space (200 μm) discharges in helium. Hydrodynamic transport equations of the self-consistent and time-dependant model are described with an emphasis on the different terms involved in the close coupling among charged species, neutral species, and the electric field. Those equations are solved by two-dimensional numerical schemes for both species transport and electric field. The microplasmas are studied from an initial cloud until the stages of charged particle overamplification in small spaces, where transients are particularly important. Gas heating, neutral depletion initiation, and electric field reversal are observed, highlighting the close interaction between neutral gas and charged species in governing the evolution of the microplasma