Scaling Rule for Electron Swarm in Rare Gases

A mass scaling rule for the electron (of mass m ) swarm in rare gases (of atomic mass M ) under the influence of the electric ( E ) and magnetic ( B ) fields is deduced on the basis of the two-term approximation of the Boltzmann equation. By carrying out the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) of the electron swarm in He ( B =0), the scaling rule is verified to be valid for the mass ratio \(m/M{}10⁻²\). The mass scaling rule indicates that the MCS with an unrealistically large value of \(m/M({}10⁻²)\) for the reduclion of the computation time is valid in the two-term approximation with the error of the order of m / M after the initial transient stage.