Electron Transport and Discharge Behavior in Cryogenic He-N2 Mixtures: Boltzmann Equation Analysis
Received: 23 February 2026 | Revised: 26 April 2026 | Accepted: 18 May 2026 | Online: 6 June 2026
Corresponding author: Muhammed Mustafa Othman
Abstract
For the first time, electron swarm parameters (electron drift velocity, mean energy, reduced diffusion coefficient, reduced electron mobility, and ionization coefficient) were calculated in cryogenic binary He–N2 mixtures containing 1%, 4%, 8%, 15%, and 20% of Nitrogen (N2) at a low temperature of 77 K, and a pressure of 1 MPa, over a wide range of reduced electric field strength E/N=1-200 Td (1Td=10-17 V cm2), with E being the electric field strength in (Vcm-1), and N the gas number density in (particle cm-3). These swarm parameters were analyzed using a two-term expansion of the Boltzmann equation, along with electron collision cross sections for Helium (He) atoms and Nitrogen (N2) molecules. For pure He, the obtained results are in good agreement with previously reported experimental and theoretical findings. Furthermore, the influence of the reduced field strength E/N was examined, demonstrating that even a small concentration of N2 significantly affects the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) and swarm parameters. The present results will be helpful for high-energy physics detectors, cryogenic tracking systems, low-temperature plasmas, high-voltage insulation systems, gas discharge, and superconducting technologies.
Keywords:
He atom, N2 molecule, transport parameters, Boltzmann equation, superconductor, low-temperature, ionization, distribution function, cross-sectionsReferences
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