Electron Energy Distribution in Slightly Ionized Air under the Influence of Electric and Magnetic Fields

Numerically-computed solutions to the Boltzmann equaion were obtained giving the electron energy distribution in weakly ionized air assuming that there are present a static agnetic field and an electric field of constant direction (perpendicular to the magnetic fleld) and a constant rms value, that the gas is homogeneous and the flelds uniform in pace, that the degree of ionization is weak enough so that lectron-electron and electron-ion collisions are negligible, hat the fields are such that the average electron energy is such larger than the thermal energy of the gas molecules and the heating of the gas by the electrons is negligible, that processes of creation and removal of free electrons are negligible, and that electrons may lose energy in elastic collisions and may also excite rotational, vibrational, and electronic degrees of freedom. To describe these energy-loss processes, experimental cross sections are used. We take the constltuents of the air to be N/sub 2/, O/sub 2/, and O, the later being included for upper atmosphere applications. Distribution functions for limiting cases are given and comparisons are made of solutions to others obtained by less extensive calculations. While the ratio of electric field to pressure is a good scaling factor formore » d-c excitation, this is not the case if either the excitation frequency or the gyro frequency is large compared to the collission frequency. (auth)« less