Self-consistent electron and heavy-particle kinetics in a low-pressure N-2-O-2 glow discharge

A homogeneous kinetic model of a low-pressure N-2-O-2 positive column is developed. The model is based on the self-consistent solutions to the electron Boltzmann equation coupled to the rate balance equations for the vibrationally excited molecules N-2(X (1) Sigma(g)(+), v) and O-2(X (3) Sigma(g)(-), v'), the electronically excited states of N-2, and NO(X (2) Pi(r)), N(S-4) and O(P-3) species. Further, this set is still solved together with the continuity equations for the electrons and the main positive ions (N-2(+), N-4(+), O+, O-2(+), NO+) in order to determine the maintenance reduced electric field. This formulation allows us to determine the concentrations of the various neutral and ionic species, the electron density and the vibrational temperatures, T-v(N-2) and T-v(O-2), as a function of the gas pressure, discharge current, gas temperature, tube radius and fractional N-2:O-2 composition. The calculated results are shown to be in satisfactory agreement with published experimental data. The complex interplay kinetics is analysed in detail and the effects of the poor knowledge of some collisional and surface data on the results are discussed.