Two-component plasma model for two-dimensional glow discharge in magnetic field

Theory and computational model for a glow discharge in a parallel-plate configuration with an applied transversal magnetic field is presented. The model is based on the diffusion-drift theory of gas discharge consisting of continuity and momentum conservation equations for electron and ion fluids, as well as the Poisson equation for the self-consistent electric field. Two-dimensional numerical results are obtained for nitrogen at a pressure range from 5 to 10 torr, the electromotive force of power supply of 2–3 kV, and magnetic field induction of −0.1 ⩽B⩽ 0.1 T. The present results, without the applied external magnetic field, compare favorably with the classic theory of von Engel and Steenbeck. For the first time, the physics-based model also successfully applies to the glow discharge under the influence of an external magnetic field. It has been shown that at B∼0.01 T, the glow discharge shifts correctly in the normal direction relative to both the magnetic and electric fields.