Effects of inhomogeneity on the Shukla–Nambu–Salimullah potential in a magnetized plasma

Abstract

Detailed properties of the electrostatic Shukla–Nambu–Salimullah potential in an inhomogeneous magnetoplasma in the presence of ion stream ing due to diamagnetic drift as in a laboratory discharge plasma have been examined analytically. The potential becomes a sensitive function of the external static magnetic field, the scalelength of inhomogeneity, and the diamagnetic ion streaming velocity. For a decreasing ion density gradient, there is a limit of existence of this static modified shielding potential