Energy distributions of electrons in electron-beam-produced nitrogen plasmas

A theory was developed which predicts the equilibrium electron energy distributions resulting from the injection of an electron beam into molecular nitrogen. The results were highly non-Maxwellian with a minimum existing near 2.5 eV. Using these distributions, fractional power transfers to various excitation processes were calculated. The theory was examined experimentally by using a Langmuir probe to measure the distributions produced by a beam of electrons in low-pressure nitrogen. The distributions were measured in absolute units and compared with theory. All of the major features of the theory were found to be present in the measurements