Simulation of electron motion and its energy in the Ar DC glow discharge plasma

In a direct current glow discharge Ar plasma occurring in parallel electrode plates, the electron motion was monitored and its kinetic parameters were sampled and counted by Monte Carlo simulation with time steps adjusted automatically. In the simulation, the statistical results show that the electrons are accelerated by the electric field and shifted directionally, the number of electron with energy E decreases with increasing energy in the 40000 samplings, the mean electron energy increases with the electric field strength, and the energy distribution is broadened. Although the electric field strength reaches 15 V·cm-1, excitation and ionization remain rarely happened in the plasma. Obviously, the field strength and gas pressure can change the electron mean free path. (author)