Monte Carlo simulation of electron drift characteristics in an inert gas with mercury vapor

Abstract

Abstract The Monte Carlo method calculated the kinetic characteristics of electron drift in three inert gases (He, Ar, Xe) in the presence of small impurities (up to 1%) of mercury vapor at an electric field strength E/N = 1-2000 Td taking into account inelastic collisions and analyzed the effect of the concentration of metal vapor on the drift velocity, average electron energy, diffusion and mobility coefficients. In addition, the Townsend ionization coefficient and electron runaway, the electron energy distribution function, and their comparison with the Maxwell and Druvestein distributions are calculated. It has been shown that even insignificant additions of mercury atoms to an inert gas, starting with a fraction of a percent, strongly affect the discharge, in particular, the characteristics of inelastic processes and the charge composition.