On the interpretation of Langmuir probe data inside a spacecraft sheath

If a Langmuir probe is located inside the sheath of a negatively charged spacecraft, there is a risk that the probe characteristic is modified compared to that of a free probe in the ambient plasma. We have studied this probe-in-spacecraft-sheath problem in the parameter range of a small Langmuir probe (with radius r(LP)≪λ(D)) using a modified version of the orbit motion limited (OML) probe theory. We find that the ambient electron contribution I(e)(U(LP)) to the probe characteristic is suitably analyzed in terms of three regions of applied probe potential U(LP). In region I, where the probe is negatively charged (i.e., U(LP)U(1), there is first a transition region II in applied potential, U(1)