Oxygen molecular plasma at ambient temperature and elevated or high pressure

TL;DR

This paper investigates how electrostatic field energy around ions influences ionization energy in oxygen molecular plasma at high pressures, revealing conditions for complete ionization.

Contribution

It introduces a model accounting for electrostatic field energy around ions, showing its impact on ionization energy reduction in oxygen plasma.

Findings

Electrostatic field energy decreases effective ionization energy.

Complete ionization occurs at a critical electron concentration.

Model applies to high-pressure oxygen molecular plasma.

Abstract

Usually microscopic electrostatic field around ions is neglected when the ionization energy is concerned. The ionization energy is considered to be equal to that of a separate atom (molecule). Here the energy of the electrostatic field around ions is taken into account. It is shown that the energy of this field contributes to decrease in the effective ionization energy. The effective ionization energy may turn to zero at some critical concentration of delocalized electrons. This leads to a complete ionization of the atoms (molecules). Concrete calculations were performed for oxygen molecular gas.