Computational physics of electric discharges in gas flows (Q441298)

This is a comprehensive book on mathematical modeling and numerical procedures of physical processes in gas discharge configurations that will prove useful for both professionals and graduate level students in the field.NEWLINENEWLINEThe text is divided into nine chapters followed by an appendix. The chapters can be grouped into three parts according to the related subjects, namely gas discharge, glow discharge and free current discharge.NEWLINENEWLINEPart I contains the first three chapters that deal with elements of theory of the numerical modeling of gas discharge phenomena. In this sense, Chapter 1 tackles the relevant models of physical mechanics in various plasma environments and configurations. This includes different types of plasma generators with uniform and non-uniform, and equilibrium and non-equilibrium plasma. Chapter 2 presents numerical simulation models for waves in laser-produced plasma including the case in which gravitational effects are taken into account. Here, one also finds the problem of bifurcation of subsonic flows at locations of heat release. A variety of numerical procedures relevant to magneto-hydrodynamic processes is treated in Chapter 3. Special attention is paid here to forms of MHD equations used in computational simulations, the treatment of singularities and solving eigenvalue problems.NEWLINENEWLINEPart II is devoted to methods of modeling and numerical simulations relevant to glow-discharge processes. Chapter 4 describes various physical aspects of current glow discharge including cathode layer theory, drift-diffusion models, and one- and two-dimensional models. Chapter 5 deals with drift diffusion models of glow discharge in configurations with external magnetic field.NEWLINENEWLINEPart III comprises of the last four chapters and is on ambipolar models of direct current discharges. So, Chapter 6 deals with numerical simulations of quasi-neutral gas discharges in external magnetic field and in gas flow. Chapter 7 treats the viscous interaction between a gas flow and a flat surface with discharge in presence of an external magnetic field. The hypersonic flow of a rarefied gas in a channel with glow discharge in external magnetic field configurations is numerically modeled in Chapter 8, while analogous problems related to a curvilinear channel are dealt with in Chapter 9.NEWLINENEWLINEFinally, the appendix contains two sections on fundamental constants and electromagnetic units, respectively.