Anode phenomena in a collision-dominated plasma

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Abstract
Anodes display either a glow mode or a constricted mode in plasmas of interest for MHD generator applications. The purpose of this paper is to outline the conditions underlying the existence of anode constrictions or anode spots in conjunction with criteria governing the anode glow. A steady current flowing through velocity and thermal boundary layers is investigated. The sheath and the ambipolar region are considered from an approximation theory viewpoint, and then the nonexistence of a one-dimensional Cartesian or diffuse mode for a nonreacting anode region is shown using the continuum equations for electrostatic probes.