Two-temperature relaxation in nonideal partially ionized plasmas

Evolution equations for the coupled relaxation of densities and temperatures for the components in nonideal partially ionized plasmas are given. In these equations many-body effects, such as screening, self-energy, and lowering of the binding energy, are included. The coupled equations are solved numerically for a hydrogen plasma consisting of electrons, protons, and atoms. Impact ionization, three-body recombination, and elastic processes are taken into account. Thermal relaxation times are determined and the results are compared with those from the literature. The influence of many-body effects on the evolution process are discussed. In some cases, a significantly increased lifetime of the two-temperature regime is found. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.