Absorption of electron-beam energy in a mixture of O I, O2 and N2 gases

The Monte Carlo method is used to investigate the transfer of electrons with initial energies of not less than 0.1 keV and pitch angles ranging from 0 to 70 deg in a mixture of O I, O2, and N2. Dissipation functions are calculated which describe the depthwise distribution of electron-beam energy separated in a gaseous absorber. These functions are compared with available results of experimental measurements. In addition, analytic forms are derived for the dissipation function describing the transfer of electron beams with a pitch angle of 0 deg and with isotropic pitch-angle distribution above the lower hemisphere. The results are pertinent to the study of processes in the polar ionosphere.