
%0 Journal Article
%A Robson, RE 
%A Maeda, K 
%A Makabe, T 
%A White, RD 
%T Frequency Variation of the Mean Energy of rf Electron Swarms
%J Australian Journal of Physics
%D 1995/06/01
%V 48
%N 3
%P 335-346
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/PH950335
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/PH950335 
%X Starting from the general momentum and energy balance equations for charged particle swarms in a gas, as furnished by momentum-transfer theory, we obtain expressions for mean velocity and mean energy of an electron swarm in an r.f. electric field under spatially uniform conditions, in the frequency range WTe > 1, where Te is the energy collisional relaxation time. If Te is a decreasing function of energy, it is shown that the cycle-averaged mean energy reaches a maximum at a certain frequency. Physical arguments are provided to support this result and the prediction is verified for a constant elastic cross section model by direct numerical solution of Boltzmann's equation. 
