Relaxation of the Volume Charge Created by the Electron Flow in Air

摘要

Abstract The process of the relaxation of the volume electric charge formed by high-energy electrons in air is considered. The charge carriers are negative ions formed when thermalized electrons become attached to oxygen molecules. A mathematical model of the ion drift in an electric field is built, based on the charge continuity law and Maxwell’s equations. The algorithm for the numerical solution of the model equations is based on the particle method. A numerical estimate of the relaxation time of the volume charge is made.