Theory of ion-ion recombination in plasmas

Ionic recombination in a dense plasma is studied by the application of molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations and through the development of transport theory. For charge densities exceeding 10¹⁴ cm^-3, the modification of the effective interaction between positive and negative ions leads to a significant reduction in the recombination rate at pressures below 1 atm. At higher pressures the rate is less sensitive to the ion density. The presence of an external field also inhibits the recombination rate. This latter effect may be especially important in rare-gas---halide discharge laser plasmas.