Spatial transition of the electron gas from the active to the remote plasma state

Starting from the active region of a weakly ionized plasma the spatial transition of the electron gas through an adjacent field decay region into the field-free remote plasma is studied in neon on a rigorous basis by using two independent kinetic approaches. The main objective of the analysis concerns the complex features of the electron gas in its transition process from a field-driven active plasma to a purely diffusion-driven remote plasma. In addition to the energy resolved characterization of the velocity distribution, in particular, the spatial decay behavior of important, energy space averaged transport and dissipation properties of the electrons, as the density, the particle and energy fluxes and the power transfer rates to the gas particles in electron collisions, is elaborated and interpreted. Moreover, the influence of a variation of the active plasma conditions and of the spread of the field decay region on the resultant transition behavior of the electron gas is evaluated. A particular finding is that the spatial field decay is generally accompanied by a large density increase in order to allow the continuation of the electron flux by a pure diffusion process in the adjacent remote plasma. This finding could be completely confirmed by the almost perfect coincidence of corresponding results obtained by two independent kinetic approaches.