Temperature Dependence of Ion Mobilities in Helium, Neon, and Argon

Abstract

Measurements have been made of the temperature variation of the atomic and molecular ion mobilities in the parent gases, helium, neon, and argon over the range 77-300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The experimental values for the atomic ion mobilities are compared with calculations based on Holstein's theory. The results for neon and argon are in good agreement with the values calculated from the theory. This is in contrast to the case of helium where the experimental results lie consistently below the theoretical values. The molecular ion mobilities are compared with the temperature variation predicted by the Langevin and Hass\'e-Cook theories. The experimental results in neon and argon lie intermediate between the predictions of the two theories in agreement with expectations; however, the helium data cannot be reconciled with either of these theories.