First principles calculation of the effect of Coulomb collisions in partially ionized gases
- Institute for Solid State Physics and Optics, Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box No. 49, H-1525 Budapest (Hungary)
Coulomb collisions, at appreciable ratios (η) of the electron to the neutral particle density, influence significantly the electron kinetics in particle swarms and in plasmas of gas discharges. This paper introduces a combination of Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation techniques, to provide a novel, approximation-free, first principles calculation method for the velocity distribution function of electrons, and related swarm characteristics, at arbitrary η. Simulation results are presented for electrons in argon gas, for density ratios between zero and 10{sup −1}, representing the limits of a negligible electron density and an almost complete Maxwellization of the velocity distribution function, respectively.
- OSTI ID:
- 22253122
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 21, Issue 4; Other Information: (c) 2014 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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