Due to the large value of mean free path, the main mechanism of electron heating turns out to be a collisionless one rather than conventional Joule heating, which is dominant for higher pressures. The role of collisions and non-linear effects was investigated in I.D. Kaganovich, Effects of collisions and particle trapping on collisionless heating , Phys. Under certain conditions, collisionless heating is proportional to collision frequency due to the influence of nonlinear effects. This is in contrast to the common situation, where collisionless heating does not depend on collision frequency, as in the classical theory of anomalous skin effect. Pattern Formation in Non-Linear Systems Plasmas often behave like alive system.
Plasma takes the form which is the most suitable for it.
Under other conditions discharge glows in the form of truncated cone in the region next to the electrodes. Thus, the width of the spot increases to pass the larger current assigned by the generator. The form of the discharge can be found by analyzing the stability of current carrying region, the ballast regions, and interface between them. The plasma self organization in magnetic field is even more complicated. Resume My Resume .