THE QUASI-BALLISTIC MODEL OF ELECTRON-MOBILITY IN LIQUID HYDROCARBONS

A phenomenological theory of low-mobility liquid hydrocarbons is devel oped which includes electron ballistic motion in the quasi-free state, in competition with diffusion and trapping. For most low-mobility liq uids the theory predicts consistently the effective mobility and activ ation energy, in agreement with experiments, using quasi-free mobility and trap density respectively as similar to 100 cm(2) v(-1) s(-1) and similar to 10(19) cm(-3). Field dependence of mobility is theoretical ly of quadratic type for relatively small fields, agreeing approximate ly with experimental data for n-hexane. Electron scavenging with ''goo d'' scavengers occurs via the quasi-free state at nearly diffusion-con trolled rate; however the effect of large mean free path is seen clear ly.