TRANSPORT-COEFFICIENTS IN A WEAKLY IONIZED NONEQUILIBRIUM PLASMA

The Boltzmann equation for an electron gas in a weakly ionized plasma is solved for an inhomogeneous plasma in a steady state but outside equilibrium (no Maxwell distribution). The inhomogeneity concerns both the electron density and the imposed dc electric field. With the emphasis on the case of a molecular gas discharge, the perturbed part of the electron distribution is evaluated only to the first order in gradients. The result is incorporated in the electron transport equations, where it leads to a renormalization of transport coefficients. Based on this procedure, a corrected version of the so-called quasihomogeneous equations is given. © 1995 The American Physical Society.