Anisotropic scattering of electrons byN2and its effect on electron transport

Abstract

As part of a systematic study of approximations commonly made in solutions of the Boltzmann equation for electrons in molecular gases, we have investigated the effects of anisotropic scattering on electron transport coefficients in ${\mathrm{N}}_2$ and have extended our study of the multiterm expansion technique to higher E/n. A critical survey of published data yields a set of differential and integral cross sections for electron energies from 0.003 to ${10}^4$ eV. For electric-field–to–gas-density ratios E/n between 10 and 500 Td (1 Td${=10\mathrm{}}^{\mathrm{-}21}$ V ${\mathrm{m}}^2$), the changes in the commonly measured transport and reaction coefficients resulting from the introduction of anisotropic elastic and inelastic scattering, while keeping the elastic momentum-transfer cross section constant, are less than 1%.