I am confused with the heat generating mechanism in non-thermal plasma. As far as I know, most of the energy received from the electric field is stored in the electrons. However, since their size are too small, the energy transfer to the other plasma species is not effective. Is there any other process that contribute to rapid temperature rise of non-thermal plasma during its generation?
Maybe you could specify what you mean by rapid temperature changes? In principle you are right thermalisation occurs due to collisions between particles as the temperature is the mean energy (translational, vibrational, rotational) of the particles involved in your experiment. If the collision frequency is high enough even the electrons may contribute to significant heating of ions and neutrals. However, the temperature of your particles can also rise due to absorption of electromagnetic radiation. For the rotational and vibrational states this is mostly infrared radiation as these states cannot store much energy. On the other hand, atoms (ions or molecules) can easily interact with higher energy photons via absorption in the electron shell and be heated this way.
To complete Johannes answer, I should say that it is not true that most of the energy is stored in electrons. Even if their temperature is higher, a lot of energy goes into internal degrees of freedom, such as vibration, electronic excitation, or in activating chemical processes such as dissociation and ionization.
The depletion of internal states or recombination due to collisions with heavy particles, transfer energy to translation degree of freedom.
Other mechanisms, such as pre dissociative channels, which consists in producing excited species, that spontaneously dissociate. The excess of energy is transferred in translational degrees of freedom, i.e. temperature.
This aspect, named fast heating, has been investigated by Vasco Guerra, Carlos Pintassilgo and Nikolai Popov.
To complete the answer of my friendsI will advise that the electron size is small but not their electric field, when they move, create an "AC" field that is propagated over the "DC" field of ions reaching any electron along the plasma. Usually it is a surface field as long as ions and electrons inside coupled quickly to the incoming radiation energy shielding it like a faraday box. The penetration depth may depend on plasma density and ionization degree.
If you try to simulate it you should use the time needed by the light to reach the particles
Thank you all for answering my question. I really appreciate it. There is a question I would like to address to Mr Gianpiero Colonna. Is there any different between the pre dissociation processes and the normal dissociation processes? As far as I know, dissociation of molecules involve breaking of their chemical bonds, and it would require energy to break the bonding. So I assume it is a endothermic process, and it would cool the surrounding. I would like to ask if my concept is wrong or is there any other mechanism that cause energy to be released as thermal energy after the dissociation.