The processes presented in the table include 261 electron collision processes with neutral argon species taking into account elastic collisions, excitation, de-excitation and ionisation. The rate coefficients for the processes in this table were determined by solving the steady-state electron Boltzmann equation in multi-term approximation using a generalised version of the method for weakly ionised plasmas presented in the paper of Leyh et al. This method was adapted to include non-conservative electron collisions and the impact of the random motion of gas particles on elastic collision processes. The values for the reduced electric field (E/N) and gas temperature (T_g ) as well as the cross section data and further atomic data are used as input information. The calculated coefficients are given as a function of the mean electron energy.
To determine the rate coefficients for elastic electron collisions and electron-impact excitation processes the collision cross sections given in the studies of Zatsarinny et al. were utilised. Cross section data for the electron-impact ionisation of argon in its ground state was taken from the publication of Rapp and Englander-Golden. The analytic formula given by Vriens and Smeets was applied for the determination of the electron-impact ionisation cross sections of excited argon atoms. The same analytic formula was utilised in the case of the ionisation of excited argon molecules, except that the cross section data for the high vibrational levels were taken from the studies of Flannery and McCann. The principle of detailed balance was applied for the determination of the cross sections of electron-impact de-excitation.
The first column in the table represents mean electron energy, while the data in other columns correspond to the rate coefficients listed in the file "List_of_processes.txt". The last reaction coefficient k_261 corresponds to electron-argon atom elastic collision (N represents the number density of argon atom ground state.).
- Leyh H, Loffhagen D and Winkler R 1998 Comput. Phys. Commun. 113 33–48 URL https://doi.org/10.1016/S0010-4655(98)00062-9
- Zatsarinny O, Wang Y and Bartschat K 2014 Phys. Rev. A 89 022706 BSR database, www.lxcat.net, retrieved on May 29, 2018 URL https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.89.022706
- Zatsarinny O, Wang Y and Bartschat K 2014 Phys. Rev. A 89 022706 Private communication of O. Zatsarinny and K. Bartschat, June 6, 2018 URL https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.89.022706
- Rapp D and Englander-Golden P 1965 J. Chem. Phys. 43 1464–1479 URL https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1696957
- Flannery M R and McCann K J 1980 Cross sections for ionization of rare gas excimers by electron impact and atomic and molecular processes in excimer laser technical Report AFWAL-TR-80-2015 Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia