Radially varying electron kinetics in the positive column of the DC glow discharge

The conventional microscopic treatment of the plasma in the cylindrical positive column of the low pressure glow discharge based on the assumption that the (per one electron normalized) energy distribution function and all transport and rate coefficients of the electrons are independent of the radial coordinate r of the column. Then the energy distribution function and the electron transport and rate coefficients can be obtained by solving the spatially homogeneous and stationary electron Boltzmann equation including in the latter the sole action of the axial electric field strength Ez and the relevant elastic and inelastic electron - atom collision processes. In this conventional approach the impact of the radial electric field Er and of the radial inhomogeneity of the column plasma on the electron kinetics has been neglected. The transport and rate coefficients are used, for example, to solve the appropriate particle balance equation of the electrons in order to determine the radial distribution of the electron density. Such a treatment is similar to the well known open-quotes local field approximationclose quotes which is often adopted to simplify the plasma modelling. However, contrary to the latter, only the axial electric field is considered neglecting the radial component of the vectorial electric field