On the reliability of low-pressure dc glow discharge modelling

Modelling approaches used for the description of the cathode region of dc glow discharges are reviewed, with the focus on hybrid models which combine the fluid description of positive ions and bulk electrons with the kinetic simulation of fast electrons. The reliability of the calculated discharge characteristics is analysed by testing the different assumptions of the models and the sensitivity of the calculated characteristics on the input data. The applicability of the particle-in-cell technique ( complemented with Monte Carlo simulation of collision processes) for the simulation of dc glow discharges is also discussed.