Hall and Ion-Slip Effects in a Nonuniform Gas

Abstract

Under conditions that result in strong Hall or ion-slip effects, a uniform and a nonuniform gas can behave much differently as conductors of electricity. An Ohm's law for a nonuniform gas is derived. It is used to study the performance of normal-current and Hall-current magnetohydrodynamic devices and also the possibility for obtaining significant electron heating or ``extrathermal'' ionization.