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.