Low energy electron collisions in oxygen

Abstract

The development of a drift tube with a pulsed RF electron detection system is described. This tube is designed to measure electron drift velocities in attaching gases. Measurements of electron drift velocities in oxygen in the range 0.14 - 1.4 Td are presented. A momentum transfer cross section for electron energies less than 1.5 eV which is consistent with these results is derived. Results are given of an investigation into the validity of the usual solution of the Boltzmann equation for electron swarms in a gas with a large inelastic cross section. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to find the transport coefficients for electron motion in model gases with various inelastic cross sections, and these results are compared with a Boltzmann analysis of the same data. The comparison shows that the assumptions made in the solution of the Boltzmann equation remain valid up to relatively high levels of the inelastic cross section. Show more