Spatially periodic structures in electron swarms and the Franck-Hertz experiment

The seminal experiment of Franck and Hertz, which helped lay the foundations of quantum and atomic physics, is investigated through solution of the Boltzmann equation, using both eigenfunction expansion methods and spatial finite-difference techniques. We consider electrons in both a model gas and in mercury, the gas originally used by Franck and Hertz, and focus upon the effects of both inelastic and elastic collisions. It is pointed out that the periodic spatial structures encountered in the Franck-Hertz experiment have a physical origin similar to the oscillatory phenomena observed by Fletcher and others previously in low-pressure, low-current discharges, and by Winkler et al , and other contemporary authors in simulations of low-temperature plasmas.

Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics

33

1361-6455

N/A

3

14