Flow of a weakly ionized gas between parallel cold walls with parabolic velocity profile

Abstract

Ambipolar diffusion between flat cold insulating walls of a weakly ionized gas which flows in the direction parallel to the walls with parabolic velocity profile is investigated theoretically. It has been found that:

• 1. the patched velocity of linear and nonlinear regions tends to 1/√2 of the thermal velocity;

• 2. the thickness of the nonlinear region with parabolic velocity profile is found to be less than that of Shioda who considered uniform streaming (J. Phys. Soc. Japan, 1969,29, 197); and

• 3. the number density and the electric potential approximations in the sheath edge do not depend uponx, the coordinate in the streaming direction.