PROPERTIES OF ELECTRON SWARMS IN MERCURY-VAPOR

The authors report the properties of electron swarms in mercury vapour Townsend discharge. The distribution function, first Townsend ionisation coefficient, mean energy, drift velocity, diffusion coefficient and characteristic energy of electrons in mercury vapour have been computed from the solution of Boltzmann's equation in the range 50<or=E/p0<or= 700 V cm-1 Torr-1. The diffusion of electrons and the partition of the remaining energy after ionisation, between the ionising electron and the one produced by ionisation, have been taken into account in the solution of Boltzmann's equation.