Microwave Breakdown Calculations That Include the Effects of Preionization in Neon and Neon-Argon Mixtures.

摘要

A computer program has been written to calculate the electric field required to initiate microwave breakdown in a partially ionized gas. The breakdown field is found by calculating ionization rates and diffusion loss rates and then solving for the value of the electric field at which these rates balance. In the preionization case, a modified diffusion coefficient is required to account for charge-separation effects. The program reported here uses the method of MacDonald for calculating ionization and diffusion loss rates and extends that method to the preionization case by using a multiplicative factor to model the transition to ambipolar diffusion. Results are graphed for neon and neon-argon mixtures using various values of the characteristic diffusion length and signal frequency over a range of gas pressures. (Author)