Modeling Electron Beam Generated Plasma Parameters Using EMPIRE

Research of electron-beam-generated-plasmas is important for understanding the atmosphere and ionosphere. A previous study introduced the rigid beam model (RBM) and simulated an electron beam experiment at 100 kV, 4.5 kA, and 100 ns [1]. The rigid beam model is a reduced-order model of Maxwell's equations that is coupled to a fluid treatment of the plasma. The study compared well to experiments at pressures between 1 and 10 Torr, however, at lower pressures the RBM fails to reproduce experimental data and it is believed that a kinetic description is needed to accurately capture the bulk plasma properties. We are using EMPRIE [2] to bridge the gap of understanding between the RBM and kinetic solutions. The important parameters analyzed are the electric field, net current, and plasma electron density. These are all critically dependent on the electron-beam current density and the gas pressure. Additionally, we evaluate which reactions are necessary to accurately model a molecular nitrogen plasma kinetically.