The Motion of Electrons in Nitrogen

Abstract

Mobilities of electrons in nitrogen have been determined in fields ranging from 1 volt/cm to 55 volts/cm at atmospheric pressure. For low fields the mobility has a value of 18,000 cm/sec. but decreases rapidly for higher fields. The results agree for low fields with Compton's mobility equation, viz., $u=\frac{a}{{[1+{(1+B{x}^{2})}^{\frac{1}{2}}]}^{\frac{1}{2}}}$, but in order to obtain full agreement it must be assumed that the mean free path of the electron decreases as the velocity of the electron increases and also that the impacts of electrons with nitrogen molecules are not completely elastic. The mean free path of the electrons in nitrogen at a pressure of 760 mm and in thermal equilibrium with the molecules has been determined from the limiting mobility as the field in which the mobility is determined approaches zero. The value thus found is.000131 cm. This is about 2.7 times the kinetic theory value.