A Quantum Mechanical Calculation of the Radial Distrbution Function for a Plasma

Abstract

A quantum mechanical calculation of the radial distribution function g".m.(r) for unlike particles in a hydrogenous plasma is presented. Results for a neutral plasma over a range of temperatures show that gq.m.(r) differs significantly from the corresponding classical distribution function g.(r) = exp(fJel/r) when r is less than a chosen distance r" the value of which is temperature dependent. The effect of shielding, the relative contribution from scattered and bound states, and the relation to percentage ionization are discussed.