This review presents the basics of plasma discharges applied to electric spacecraft
propulsion. It briefly reports on the mature and flown technologies of gridded ion thrusters …

Biased electrodes are common components of plasma sources and diagnostics. The plasma–
electrode interaction is mediated by an intervening sheath structure that influences …

Electron sheaths are commonly found near Langmuir probes collecting the electron
saturation current. The common assumption is that the probe collects the random flux of …

Equilibrium states of anodic double layers that form near a positively biased disk-shaped
electrode immersed in a partially ionized plasma are studied experimentally using …

Neutral depletion can significantly affect the steady state of low temperature plasmas.
Processes that lead to neutral depletion and the resulting plasma–neutrals steady state are …

A kinetic theory of the Bohm criterion is developed that is based on positive-exponent
velocity moments of the plasma kinetic equation. This result is contrasted with the …

The physics and chemistry of plasma–surface interaction is a broad domain relevant to
various applications and several natural processes, including plasma etching for …

Langmuir probe diagnostic in a multi-dipole confined hot cathode discharge has been
revisited with an improved sheath expansion model with fitted expansion parameters. The …

As the size of a positively biased electrode increases, the nature of the interface formed
between the electrode and the host plasma undergoes a transition from an electron-rich …

A recent theory suggests that electrons enter electron sheaths at an electron Bohm velocity
given by (T e/me) 1/2 instead of the electron thermal velocity as conventionally assumed. To …