Electron collision rates and energy loss in argon and nitrogen glow discharge plasma

Abstract EN

The rate coefficients for electron impact excitation, electron impact ionization and elastic scattering of electrons for atomic (argon) and molecular (nitrogen) gases in dc glow discharge plasma are reviewed.

The rate coefficients are then used to evaluate to collisional energy loss per electron–ion pair created for argon atom and nitrogen molecule.

The results demonstrate that the ionization and excitation rate coefficients profiles have two peaks in the discharge: one in the cathode fall region and the other in the negative glow.

In the molecular gas (nitrogen gas) the collisional energy loss per electron ion pair created is significantly higher than that for the noble gas (argon gas) at a given electron temperature.