Boltzmann equation analysis of the off-diagonal elements of the diffusion tensor in electric and magnetic fields in gases

Abstract

Off-diagonal elements of the diffusion tensor for electron swarms in gases under the influence of electric and magnetic fields crossed at arbitrary angle are calculated and investigated using a multi term theory for solving the spatially inhomogeneous Boltzmann equation. We focus on the way in which the off-diagonal elements are influenced by the synergism of magnetic field and nonconservative collisions. It is found that the off-diagonal elements of the diffusion tensor can have magnitudes of equivalent order to the diagonal elements suggesting consideration is required for their inclusion into prospective models of magnetized plasma discharges.