Subnanosecond electron transport in a gas in the presence of polarized electromagnetic waves
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur 208016 (India)
- Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar 751005 (India)
An ensemble of free electrons in a classical Boltzmann gas under equilibrium condition follow a square law for the number of collisions suffered during random walk, in the elastic limit [N{proportional_to}({lambda}/{lambda}){sup 2}]. This study reveals for the first time that in the same limit the dependence is considerably modified in the presence of linearly polarized electromagnetic waves. The phenomenon happens at time scales shorter ({approx}10{sup -10} s) than the characteristic discharge initiation time and the wave period. Considering the actual dependence of collision cross-sections on electron energy, a new relation is obtained, which tends to the classical result for the zero field case. The random walk parameter <{chi}{sup 2}> characterizes a true versus constrained random process. The implications of the new relation describing the phenomena are discussed in the light of applications.
- OSTI ID:
- 21137151
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 103, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2907966; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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