The principle of adding the concentrations of charged particles in a beam-plasma for-mation formed in a hollow cathode of a non-self-sustained low-pressure glow discharge

Abstract

The regularities of the processes of generation of a beam-plasma formation in a hollow cathode with a volume of about 0.3 m3 of a non-self-sustained low-pressure glow discharge with electron injection from two symmetrically located electron sources have been studied. The paper checks the possibility of applying the principle of algebraic addition of charged particle concen-tration distributions in a plasma formation, obtained during separate operation of electron sources. an increase in arc discharge currents in electron sources by about 2 times, from 20 to 45 A, which corresponds to an increase in electron injection currents from 9 to 20 A, the accuracy of the addi-tion principle decreases. The maximum degree of inhomogeneity of the concentration of charged particles in the beam-plasma formation during the operation of two sources of electrons with dis-charge currents of 20 A in the longitudinal direction was 25%, in the radial direction – 52%, the maximum deviation of the inhomogeneity coefficients for the experimental distribution and the distribution obtained as a result of adding data, obtained by separate operation of electron sources, amounted to 8%. The results of the study make it possible to use the principle of addition to predict the concentra-tion distributions of charged particles in beam-plasma formations formed in large-volume hollow cathodes in a non-self-sustaining low-pressure glow discharge, and are of practical value for de-signing and creating equipment for hardening the surface of materials and products.