Transport phenomena in neutral and ionized gases
Date
1972
Authors
Robson, R. E.
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Abstract
Transport processes in gases are examined from both the point of
view of non-equilibrium thermodynamics and kinetic theory.
Thermodynamics is used to establish concise representations of the
general properties of transport coefficients, and in particular, it is
shown how the redundancy of Onsager relations in systems with
geometrical symmetries can be removed by using the theory of
irreducible tensorial sets. The Boltzmann equation for fully and
partially ionized gases is solved by a polynomial expansion of the
distribution function, and expressions for transport coefficients are
obtained in terms of the inverse of certain infinite-dimensional
matrices. In the case of fully-ionized gases, it is shown that the
approximations associated with the Fokker-Planck equation are accurate
as long as the deviation from equilibrium is not substantial.
Partially-ionized gases are considered under significantly nonequilibrium
conditions brought about by application of an electric
field. A new expression is obtained for ion mobility, and comparison
is made with the earlier theories of Wannier and Kihara. For electrons,
it is shown by way of direct numerical calculations that approximation
of the distribution function by the first two terms of an expansion in
Legendre polynomials is satisfactory even when the deviation from
Maxwellian is substantial. Anisotropic diffusion of ions and electrons
in an electric field is also examined, and expressions are derived for
longitudinal and transverse diffusion coefficients both via solution
of the Boltzmann equation and through thermodynamic analysis.
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