Engineering Physics Annotation << Back CHARACTERISTICS OF ION AND ELECTRON DRIFT IN AN INERT GAS WITH MERCURY VAPOR G.B. RAGIMHANOV, R.I. GOLYATINA, S.A. MAIOROV, Z.R. HALIKOVA, Z.G. KARCHUGAEVA Using the Monte Carlo method, the diffusion-drift characteristics of mercury ions in three inert gases (He, Ar, Xe) were calculated and calibrated depending on the reduced electric field strength: the average energy of the ions, their longitudinal and transverse temperatures, and the diffusion coefficients along and across the field direction. The velocity distribution function of ions and the angular dependence of ions bombarding the surface are investigated. The kinetic characteristics of electron drift in He, Ar, and Xe in the presence of small impurities (up to 1%) of mercury vapor at an electric fi eld strength E/N = 1-2000 Td are also calculated, taking into account inelastic collisions Data on the effect of a small addition of mercury vapor on the drift rate, average electron energy, diffusion and mobility coefficients, and ionization coefficient are presented. The infl uence of an impurity on the electron energy distribution function is also analyzed and compared with the Maxwell and Drewestein distributions. It is shown that even minor additions of mercury atoms to helium, starting from a fraction of a percent, strongly affect the discharge. Basically, the influence affects the characteristics of inelastic processes and the composition of the ionic component – mercury ions begin to predominate in the gas. Keywords: ion drift, electric field, helium, drift rate, diffusion coefficients, anisotropic diffusion, effective ion temperature. DOI: 10.25791/infizik.12.2020.1180 Pp. 20-28.