The theory of transient microwave heating and ionization of low-pressure air

Abstract

A theoretical investigation of the heating and ionization of low-pressure air by microwave signals is presented in this paper, demonstrating how partially ionized air is first heated and then further ionized by a transient microwave field. Nonlinear models of collision, attachment and diffusion processes are used to calculate the transient change in the electron energy and number density when a microwave field is suddenly applied to low-pressure air. Characteristic times for the heating and ionization processes are presented as functions of field amplitude and air pressure, and are compared with existing theories and experimental data.