Instability-enhanced collisional friction can determine the Bohm criterion in multiple-ion-species plasmas.

A generalized Lenard-Balescu theory that accounts for instability-enhanced collective responses is used to calculate the collisional friction between ion species in the plasma-boundary transition region (presheath). Ion-ion streaming instabilities are shown to cause such a strong frictional force that the relative flow speed between ion species cannot significantly exceed the critical threshold value (DeltaV(c)) at which instability onset occurs. When combined with the Bohm criterion, this condition uniquely determines the flow speed of each ion species at the plasma-sheath boundary. For cold ions, DeltaV(c) --> 0 and each ion species leaves the plasma at a common system sound speed c(s).