Transport coefficients for electrons in water vapor: Definition, measurement, and calculation

Abstract

Comparison of experimental and theoretical transport data for electron swarms in water vapour over a wide range of fields provides a rigorous test of (e(-), H(2)O) scattering cross sections over a correspondingly broad range of energies. That like should be compared with like is axiomatic, but the definition of transport coefficients at high fields, when non-conservative processes are significant, has long been contentious. This paper revisits and distills the most essential aspects of the definition and calculation of transport coefficients, giving numerical results for the drift velocity and ionisation coefficient of electrons in water vapour. In particular, the relationship between the theoretically calculated bulk drift velocities of [K. F. Ness and R. E. Robson, Phys. Rev. A 38, 1446 (1988)] and the experimental "arrival time spectra" drift velocity data of Hasegawa et al. [J. Phys. D 40(8), 2495 (2007)] is established. This enables the Hasegawa et al. data to be reconciliated with the previous literature, and facilitates selection of the best (e(-), H(2)O) cross section set.