Plasma Sheaths

Plasma sheaths are regions near surfaces immersed in a plasma, where charged particles, like electrons and ions, behave differently due to electric fields. In plasmas, these particles are constantly moving and can create a layer where their densities and energies change significantly. This layer forms a boundary, influencing how energy and momentum transfer between the plasma and the surface. Understanding sheaths is essential in fields like fusion energy, material science, and space physics since they affect processes like sputtering, heating, and the overall behavior of plasma interactions with solid materials.