The Townsend coefficient of ionization in atmospheric pressure rare gas plasma

摘要

In the work the influence of the processes characteristic for atmospheric pressure heavy inert gases discharge plasma on the value of the first Townsend ionization coefficient were investigated. Krypton plasma was considered. Calculations have shown that the greatest impact on the value of the first Townsend ionization coefficient has dissociative recombination of molecular ions, followed by descending influence processes occur: stepwise ionization, the electron-electron collisions and superelastic ones. The effect of these processes begins to appear at concentrations of electrons and excited particles higher than 10~(12) cm~(-3). At times shorter than the time of molecular ions formation, when dissociative recombination is absent, should expect a significant increase of the ionization coefficient.