LOW-ENERGY-ELECTRON COLLISION CROSS-SECTIONS OF ETHANE BY ELECTRON SWARM STUDY

The drift velocity and the longitudinal diffusion coefficient of elect rons in 0.206% and 1.98% ethane-argon mixtures and in pure ethane were measured in the E/N ranges 0.033 Td, 0.03-25 Td and 0.03-300 Td respe ctively. The measured swarm parameters in the mixtures were used to de termine the essential vibrational excitation cross sections of the eth ane molecule and those measured in pure ethane were used to derive the elastic momentum transfer cross section for the molecule in conjuncti on with the above derived vibrational cross sections. Consideration of realistic anisotropies of the electron scattering had little effect o n electron swarm parameters.