Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Charged-Particle Swarms in Orthogonal Electric and Magnetic Fields

Spatially resolved transport properties of a swarm of charged particles in spatially homogeneous and orthogonal dc electric and magnetic fields are investigated using a Monte Carlo simulation technique. The transient spatial profiles of the density and energy distribution function demonstrate an initial periodic structure of similar physical origin to the Franck–Hertz oscillations. It is found that, independent of the presence of a magnetic field, the spatial density profiles of the swarm relax to a Gaussian profile after a sufficient time.