The discharge kinetics in molecular gases

Problems arising in the conventional treatment of molecular discharge plasmas encompass the presently discussed (1) two-term approximation to the electron distribution function, (2) the inclusion of second-kind collisions in the Boltzmann equation, and (3) the influence of the boundary conditions for the rate equations on the concentration calculations. The dominant role of the electron-molecule collisional mechanism which leads to nonequilibrium distribution characteristics is emphasized. The specific chracteristics of each discharge in a molecular gas are shown to derive from the molecular structures of its constituents.