PREDNASAJUCI / LECTURER :

Luboš Neslušan

(1) Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences,
059 60 Tatranská Lomnica

NAZOV / TITLE :

The proton-electron plasma in the gravitational and electrostatic fields

ABSTRAKT / ABSTRACT :

The distribution of the energy of particles constituting
a plasma is described by the Maxwell distribution law, when no external
force is acting on the plasma. If the plasma is situated in a
gravitational field, e.g. on the solar surface, then the Boltzmann law
is necessary to be also taken into account. In our presentation, we
demonstrate that the thermodynamic equilibrium of plasma consisting of
protons and electrons can be achieved, in the homogeneous gravitational
field, only if a homogeneous electrostatic field also occurs. If we
consider a star, the field occurs due to its specific net electrostatic
charge. We derive this charge and show that its occurrence also balances
the escape of both protons and electrons from the stellar surface. If
the star was electrically neutral, much more electrons than protons
would reach the escape velocity. The escape speed of electrons
corresponds to the most numerous speed of these particles in a plasma
with the temperature of about 12 million Kelvins.