A short cylindrical antenna as a diagnostic probe for measuring collision frequencies in a collision-dominated non-Maxwellian plasma

Investigations have been made to determine the effects of interparticle collisions on the antiresonant impedance characteristics of an electrically short, cylindrical antenna in the vicinity of the plasma frequency of an isotropic non-Maxwellian plasma (a weakly ionized plasma in which the electron-neutral collision frequency for momentum transfer is a function of the electron energy). The dependence of the electron-neutral collision frequency on the electron energy has been taken into account. The experimental results have been compared with the theories proposed by King et al [1] and Balmain [2]. The use of this antenna as a diagnostic probe for measuring electron-neutral collision frequency and electron density has been investigated. Electron-neutral collision frequencies for helium measured by this technique are in good agreement with theoretical results calculated from the collision cross-section data of Golden and Bandel [3].