Modelling cathode spots in glow discharges in the cathode boundary layer geometry

Abstract: Self-organized patterns of cathode spots in glow discharges are computed in the cathode boundary layer geometry, which is the one employed in most of the experiments reported in the literature. The model comprises conservation and transport equations of electrons and a single ion species, written in the drift-diffusion and local-field approximations, and Poisson's equation. Multiple solutions existing for the same value of the discharge current and describing modes with different configurations of cathode spots are computed by means of a stationary solver. The computed solutions are compared to their counterparts for plane-parallel electrodes, and experiments. All of the computed spot patterns have been observed in the experiment.