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Kinetics of electrons in gases and condensed systems

B. M. Smirnov

Joint Institute for High Temperatures, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow

Abstract: Kinetics of electrons moving in a gas or a plasma under the action of external fields is considered. Elementary processes of elastic and inelastic electron – atom collisions responsible for electron kinetics in weakly ionized atomic gases are analyzed. Various regimes of evolution of electrons in a gas or a plasma in external fields are considered, and the character of atom excitations under these conditions is studied. Methods of describing the electron kinetics in gases and plasma are applied to modeling the electron drift in condensed systems. It is shown that the electric properties of metals and the behavior of an excess electron in dielectrics have common features with electron drift in gases and plasmas. The drift of an excess electron in condensed inert gases is reviewed.

PACS: 51.50.+v, 52.25.Fi, 72.15.-v

Received: February 12, 2002

DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.0172.200212c.1411

 English version: Physics–Uspekhi, 2002, 45:12, 1251–1286

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