Pulselike field disturbances

Fig. 17. Power and momentum gain-to-loss ratios for the pulselike field disturbances.

On the basis of the space-dependent two-term approximation, including elastic and conservative inelastic electron collision processes, substantial aspects of the inhomogeneous electron kinetics, such as the spatial relaxation behavior in uniform electric fields and the response of the electron component to spatially limited pulselike field disturbances, have been demonstrated and the complex mechanism of spatial electron relaxation has been briefly explained. In these cases, starting from a specific choice of the boundary condition for the velocity distribution, the succeeding spatial evolution of the electrons in the field acceleration direction up to their establishment of a steady state has been studied. 

The preceding examples concerning the time-dependent kinetics of the electrons have illustrated the complexity of the temporal relaxation of the electron component toward steady state in a time-independent electric field and the broad range of relaxation times involved in such relaxation processes. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated how these relaxation times control the response of electron kinetic quantities to single pulselike temporal disturbances of the electric field being superimposed to established steady states. 

Such complete studies of electron kinetic problems allow the essential non-equilibrimn properties of the electron component to be revealed and a deeper understanding of the interplay between the various microphysical processes involved in the kinetics of the electrons to be gained. In particular, this point has been illustrated by some examples concerning the temporal and spatial relaxation of the electrons and the electron response to temporal and spatial pulselike disturbances of the electric field. 

---