Kinetic simulation of a time-dependent two-dimensional plasma (Q1331429)

The distribution function of ions is calculated in a two-dimensional plasma with a rapidly expanding sheath, self-consistently with the electrostatic potential, \(\Phi\). The numerical procedure consists of a direct solution of an integral form of the kinetic equation. This solution relies on the use of a simple form for the Green's function which describes the time-evolution of the distribution, which has previously been used in one spatial dimension and is here extended to two dimensions. The electron density is assumed to be described by the Boltzmann relation allowing Poisson's equation to be solved for \(\Phi\) self-consistently with the ion density.