Contrib. Plasma Phys. 27 (1987) 5, 373-398 Recombination of a Xenon Plasma Jkt A. ANDERS Central Institute of Electron Physics, Academy of Sciences of the GDR, Hausvogteiplatz 5 - 7, Berlin 1088, DDR Abstract As pointed out in a previous paper, stable spherical plasma configurations can be produced by pulsed injection of a plasma into an ambient gas. It is shown here that the observed long plasma lifetime of severs1 milliseconds is in agreement with collisional-radiative recombination theories. We used the modified diffusion approximation by BIBERMAN et al. involving thermal non-equili- brium, recombination heating of electrons, heat conduction, radiation and other details. Under the assumption of a pure xenon plasma, the calculated plasma lifetime is even longer than the observed one. This discrepancy can be explained by the presence of molecules and turbulent mixing with the outer gas, which are not considered in the recombination calculation. List of Symbols AUl A‘,,,,, C 2 2 e. Ek flu 9 h J k* k m n s”’ pk Q R RY S t T Einstein coefficient of spontaneous transitions u -+ 1 total reduced de-excitation probability by radiation (17) velocity of light in vacuum specific heat at constant pressure diffusion coefficient elementary charge energy of the kth level with respect to the continuum level ionization energy mean binding energy given to the electron gas per ion recombined oscillator strength statistical weight Planck’s constant current density imaginary, dividing level with the energy Ek (9) Boltzmann’s constant absorption coefficient in the line centre of the transition u -+ 1 (40) mass density radiation parameter (16) energy flux density radius of the spherical plasma configuration Rydberg’s constant heat source (64), plasma surface (34) time temperature 5 Contrib. Plasma Phys. 27 (1987) 5