The numerical simulation of a jet of rarefied weakly ionized gas emerging from an annular aperture (Q1324005)

A plasma jet emerging from an annular aperture surrounded by inert gas is analysed. The model kinetic equations are solved numerically by a method which is a generalization of the well-known methods of the dynamics of a rarefied gas, allowing both for the discontinuous nature of the distribution function in velocity space and the presence of a force field in the kinetic equation for the ions. Numerical results are presented. Such experimentally observed effects as the formation of ``crossover'' and reverse ion currents can be obtained by this method.