Velocity distribution function and transport coefficients of electron swarms in gases. II. Moment equations and applications

Abstract

A representation of the hierarchy of kinetic equations formulated earlier [Phys. Rev. A 33, 2068 (1986)] for reacting charged-particle swarms in gases is obtained in the Sonine polynomial basis. We specialize to electron swarms and compute transport and rate coefficients, distribution functions, and other quantities of physical interest for both model and realistic electron-molecule scattering cross sections, in a wide variety of cases.