Plasma channel formation in nitrogen upon electron beam injection

A theoretical study is performed of plasma channel formation and current neutralization upon injection of a high current electron beam into nitrogen under high pressure (p 70 torr). The complex ion formation and recombination mechanism is considered together with its effect on the parameters of the plasma formed and the dynamics of beam current neutralization. Analytical expressions are obtained for the densities of simple and complex ions in the limiting cases and numerical calculations are carried out by computer for a more general case. It is shown that in nitrogen at a pressure of 70 torr when complex ions are considered the plasma channel conductivity decreases by approximately 35–40%.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 59–65, December, 1990.