Free ion generation

On the other hand, electron thermalization, although fast on the scale of thermal reactions, can still be discerned experimentally. In the gas phase, it exhibits itself through the evolution of electron energy via time-dependent reaction rates. In the liquid phase, the thermalization distance in the field of the positive ion is the all-important quantity that determines the probability of free-ion generation (see Chapter 9). In this chapter, we will deal exclusively with electron thermalization. 

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