An appraisal of the three-temperature theory and the interaction potentials of K+-He and K+-Kr by Monte Carlo Simulation

Abstract

Monte Carlo simulation calculations on a supercomputer have been made of the mobility of K+ ions drifting in pure He and Kr gases respectively under the action of a uniform electric field. Typical errors of 1% or less are achieved. By making direct comparisons with other theoretical and experimental data, these calculations have helped to verify both the three-temperature theory used to derive the theoretical mobility as well as the validity of various interaction potentials proposed. Results of these comparisons together with an earlier one for the K+-Ar system provide evidence that the three-temperature theory is generally applicable for the three different ion-neutral mass ratios studied, but yields a slight overestimation of the mobility around the peak mobility region.