In this paper we present an analysis of Thomson scattered light from an arc plasma jet. Our approach goes beyond the standard random-phase approximation (RPA) and provides more consistent data for the electron temperature and density in plasmas that are weakly nonideal and collisional. The theory is based on a memory function formalism for the spectral density function with the use of the three lowest-order frequency-moment sum rules. These moments are then corrected for temperature inhomogeneities in the scattering volume. The proposed interpretation of scattering data is compared with the RPA result and with the standard Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook collisional model for the dynamic structure factor. It is shown that the obtained electron temperature values are closer but not equal to local thermodynamic equilibrium temperature values extracted from spectroscopic measurements.

• Received 9 August 2001

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.65.046411