Measurement of the space potential of a high-temperature plasma by fast atomic beam scattering on an ion probe beam

In this work we carry out an analysis of the possibility of measuring the potential distribution of a high-temperature plasma by scattering fast atoms on an ion probe beam. The proposed method is based on the idea of determining the energy of the ion beam, which depends on the plasma potential, from the energy spectrum of the scattered atoms. Application of this method allows one to avoid a number of fundamental difficulties characteristic of plasma potential measurements which make use of heavy-ion probe beams. 34 refs., 1 fig