Plasma local thermodynamic equilibrium

{
  "id": "MLC-T-CHM-009016",
  "term": "Plasma local thermodynamic equilibrium",
  "field": "Chemistry",
  "definition": "A condition within a plasma where, at any given point, the rates of all microscopic processes, such as excitation, ionization, and recombination, are balanced by their inverse processes. This implies that the plasma can be described by a single temperature for all its components (electrons, ions, and neutrals). However, in many analytical plasmas, complete thermodynamic equilibrium is not achieved, and different temperatures exist for different species.",
  "subject": "Analytical Chemistry",
  "references": [
    "PAC, 2021, 93, 647. 'Glossary of methods and terms used in analytical spectroscopy (IUPAC Recommendations 2019)' on page 728 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2019-0203)"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/chemistry/plasma-local-thermodynamic-equilibrium/"
}