Tools
Tools
Thomas, Delfryn (1965) Measurements on the distribution of electron energies in gas discharges. Doctoral thesis, Northern Polytechnic.
The electron energy distribution function has been measured in the positive column of a nitrogen glow discharge by means of a novel electronic method previously suggested by Boyd, and consideration has been given to the accuracy to which the function was determined.
As in previous determinations, the distribution function in nitrogen was found to consist of two groups of electrons, the mean energies of which were separated by a number of electron volts, and the empirical equation suggested by Swift to describe the low energy group was verified.
The nature and mechanism of production of the high energy group was considered on the basis of three models. Two of these were previously suggested models of an electron beam moving along the discharge from the cathode, and the effect of some interaction between moving striations and the plasma. The moving striation model was formulated and a third model, based on superelastic collision with metastable molecules, was introduced.
It was shown that the electron beam model was unable to explain the results obtained and this model was rejected. Suggestions are put forward for discriminating between the moving striation and the metastable models.
 |
View Item |