Abstract
The validity of analysis of parallel-plate drift-tube experiments by use of diffusion theory is examined. Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the inadequacy of such analyses for electron motion near an absorbing cathode. However, diffusion theory results are verified for situations in which cathodic absorption is negligible, provided that a parameter $\ensuremath{\beta}$, the ratio of energy relaxation distance to drift-tube length, is much smaller than unity. For experimental circumstances in which cathode effects may be distinguished from those of anodic absorption, circuit time constant, and ionization, the Monte Carlo results can be used to augment diffusion theory for interpretation of the observed transients in terms of transport coefficients.
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