Experimental and theoretical investigations of DC glow discharges in argon-nitrogen mixtures

Ar-N 2 mixture positive columns of direct current glow discharges are experimentally and theoretically investigated. The electron energy distribution function of the column, which has a great deviation from the Maxwellian, is affected by the amount of N 2 . The N 2 and Ar metastable species densities estimated from the rate equations are inversely proportional to N 2 content. There is a large discrepancy between experimental and theoretical electron energy distribution functions, especially for N 2 positive columns. The value of pR obtained experimentally is predicted from the measured electron energy distribution function, where p is the gas pressure and R the tube radius.