Drift velocity and electron density calculations in electron beam irradiated ar/hcl gas mixtures subjected to an external electric field

The electron kinetics of electron-ten-irradiated Ar/HCI gas mixtures subjected to an externally applied electric field were simulated by a time dependent kinetic code. This code calculated simultaneously both the electron energy distribution function and the densities c-f the various relevant neutral and ionic species. The effect of the large cross sections for vibrational and rotational excitation of HCI by electron impact on the electron energy distribution was taken into account. The code predictions were compared with results of experimental measurements of electron density and drift velocity. The simulation retrieved qualitatively the negative differential conductivity(NDC), which was observed experimentally. However, the quantitative agreement between the code predictions and the experimental results was unsatisfactory.