International Journal of Physics | Vol. 5, No. 8, August 2014 | pp. 57–64
DOI: 10.46882/2014/IJP/000052
Research Article
Title:
Names of Authors: A. M. El-Chemali¹, K. K. Tanaka²
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Lebanese University, Beirut, Lebanon; ²Department of Quantum Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8603, Japan
Abstract: Noble gas mixtures are widely used in radiation detectors, plasma display panels, and gas discharge lasers. This study developed a self-consistent kinetic simulation model to analyze electron transport properties and compute ionization yields in low-pressure neon-xenon (Ne-Xe) gas mixtures. We solved the electron Boltzmann equation using a multi-term spherical harmonic expansion scheme across a reduced electric field range (E/N) from 2.0 Td to 400.0 Td. The model incorporates comprehensive cross-section sets, including elastic scattering, electronic excitation, and direct impact ionization, while accounting for Penning ionization processes. Our modeling results show that adding small fractions of xenon (from 1.0% to 5.0% by volume) drastically modifies the electron energy distribution function. At a low field strength of E/N = 20.0 Td, the first ionization coefficient increases by over two orders of magnitude in the 99% Ne - 1% Xe mixture compared to pure neon. This enhancement is driven by Penning collisions between metastable neon atoms and ground-state xenon atoms. The calculated electron drift velocities and characteristic energies agree with experimental swarm measurements within a ±4.5% variance. These kinetic parameters help optimize the operating voltages and tracking resolution of gaseous radiation detectors.
Keywords: Neon-xenon mixtures; Boltzmann equation; electron transport; Penning ionization; cross-section; gas detectors
Manuscript Timeline: Received: April 18, 2014; Revised: June 03, 2014; Accepted: June 25, 2014; Published: August 18, 2014
Citation: El-Chemali, A. M., & Tanaka, K. K. (2014). Kinetic Simulation of Electron Transport and lonization Yields in Low-Pressure Neon-Xenon Gas Mixtures. International Journal of Physics, 5(8), 57–64.
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