Debye length

The Debye length is a scale length regarding the effects of electric screening, e.g., electron screening. It is used in characterizing and modeling plasma, as well as other materials within which the charge carriers (e.g., electrons) have some freedom of movement, their position influenced by the electric field they are creating. A charged object attracts particles of the opposite charge, resulting in a vicinity that is closer to neutral than suggested by the object's charge. The Debye length is based upon an ideal model in which this gathered charge falls off exponentially with distance from the charged object. The charged object might be a highly-charged ion or in the case of technology, might be a charged electrode abutting the plasma. The Debye length depends upon the charge and on the characteristics of the plasma or other material. Formulas exist for calculating it under various circumstances.