Electron drift velocities in He and water mixtures: measurements and an assessment of the water vapour cross-section sets

Journal Publication ResearchOnline@JCU
de Urquijo, J.;Basurto, E.;Juárez, A.M.;Ness, K.F.;Robson, R.E.;Brunger, M.J.;White, R.W.
Ron White
Abstract

The drift velocity of electrons in mixtures of gaseous water and helium is measured over the range of reduced electric fields 0.1–300 Td using a pulsed-Townsend technique. Admixtures of 1% and 2% water to helium are found to produce negative differential conductivity (NDC), despite NDC being absent from the pure gases. The measured drift velocities are used as a further discriminative assessment on the accuracy and completeness of a recently proposed set of electron-water vapour cross-sections [K. F. Ness, R. E. Robson, M. J. Brunger, and R. D. White, J. Chem. Phys.136, 024318 (2012)]. A refinement of the momentum transfer cross-section for electron-water vapour scattering is presented, which ensures self-consistency with the measured drift velocities in mixtures with helium to within approximately 5% over the range of reduced fields considered.

Journal

Journal of Chemical Physics

Publication Name

Journal of Chemical Physics

Volume

141

ISBN/ISSN

1089-7690

Edition

N/A

Issue

N/A

Pages Count

11

Location

N/A

Publisher

American Institute of Physics

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1063/1.4885357