Difference between revisions of "Plasma Sheath"
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Latest revision as of 16:00, 30 April 2007
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Plasma Sheath
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1. The boundary layer of charged particles between a plasma and its
surrounding walls, electrodes, or other plasmas.
</dd>
The sheath is generated by the interaction of the plasma with the
boundary material. Current flow may be in only one direction across the sheath
(single sheath), in both directions across the sheath (double sheath), or when
the plasma is immersed in a magnetic field, it may flow along the sheath
surface at right angles to the magnetic field (magnetic current sheath).
</dd>
2. An envelope of ionized gas
that surrounds a body moving through an atmosphere at hypersonic
velocities.
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The plasma sheath affects transmission, reception, and diffraction of
radio waves; thus it is important in operational problems of spacecraft.
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References
This article is based on NASA's Dictionary of Technical Terms for Aerospace Use