2026/07/28 by Shubham Singh Baghel, S S Baghel, Luis Marques +3
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Magnetic confinement fusion research #Plasma Diagnostics and Applications
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/1361-6595/ae918a
openalex publication_date 2026/07/28 · openalex created_date 2026/07/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Abstract In this work, we have deduced a complete and consistent set of electron-impact cross section sets for ground-state H₂ and NH₃ relevant to N₂-H₂ plasma modelling, using the swarm analysis approach. For hydrogen, we updated the cross section set published in the IST-Lisbon database on LXCat, while for ammonia we propose a novel set of direct cross sections. Cross-sections for several electron collision processes, viz. elastic momentum-transfer; rotational, vibrational and electronic excitation; attachment and total/partial ionization are discussed and tested for consistency using the LisbOn KInetics Boltzmann solver (LoKI-B). The transport parameters (reduced mobility, characteristic energy, drift velocity) and the reduced Townsend coefficients (ionization, dissociation, emission, attachment), calculated with the different cross section sets, are compared with available measurements, yielding relative errors below ~5% across all parameters at low reduced electric fields, and within 10% for transport parameters and 20% for Townsend coefficients at higher fields. The cross section sets proposed in the work will be uploaded to the IST-Lisbon database of the LXCat open-access website.