Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 October 1997
The two-dimensional spatial and temporal evolution of a plasma surrounding an electrode whose potential is suddenly decreased is experimentally investigated. The electrode contains a localized convex or a localized concave perturbation. The quasineutral plasma consists of positive ions and various proportions of negative ions and electrons. The results are compared and contrasted with those that are obtained numerically using a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation and those that had previously been obtained using a fluid-model code.