Theory of electrostatic stagnation point probes in a low-density flowing continuum plasma. II. The effects of the Knudsen number

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Abstract
For pt.I see ibid., vol.9, p.2349 (1976). The continuum stagnation point electrostatic probe theory of pt.I has been extended for a finite-charged-particle mean free path under continuum neutral flow conditions. The numerical results show that: (1) an effective Knudsen number smaller than 10-2 is required for continuum conditions; (2) the influence of effective Knudsen number increases with diffusion Reynolds number; (3) the influence of effective Knudsen number increases with retarding surface potentials and decreases with increasing attracting surface potential; (4) the usual retarding potential method for temperature determination will lead to an increasing overestimate of Te as the effective Knudsen number decreases; (5) the effect of effective Knudsen number is to smooth the 'knee' of the probe characteristic and to render more imprecise the determination of space potential.