Ionization Potential Depression in Partially Ionized Hydrogen

• Published in: 2020 IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (ICOPS) p. 606
• Main Authors: Kurbanov, F., Mukhametkarimov, Ye.S., Davletov, A.E.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 06-12-2020
• Subjects: Conferences; Depression; Electric potential; History; Ionization; Plasma temperature; Plasmas
• ISSN: 2576-7208
• DOI: 10.1109/ICOPS37625.2020.9717909

The problem of determining the ionization potential depression in the medium or the so-called continuum lowering has a long history and dates back to the 1960s of the past century, when two competing approaches were proposed. The first method of Stewart and Pyatt [1] was based on the approximation of an electron-nucleus electrostatic interaction by the Thomas-Fermi potential at a finite temperature. The other approach was formulated by Ecker and Kröll [2] and stemmed from the generalized Saha equation incorporating the chemical potential of the surrounding plasma. The experimental capabilities of that time refrained from making a univocal choice in favor of one of the two concepts, but the situation has recently changed dramatically. Rather fresh experiments with matter at high-energy densities [3]-[5] have revived the subject by demonstrating that the problem of the ionization potential depression still requires further elaboration