Rates of electron attachment to aluminum oxides in air-xenon mixtures

This paper reports results from measurements of the electron concentration in wakes behind aluminum spherical models flying at velocities of 2–5 km/sec in air-xenon mixtures at a total pressure in the ballistic track of 20–100 torr. The heating of the models moving in the ballistic track and aluminum ablation from their surfaces were calculated. The rate constant of electron attachment to microparticles is found, and it is shown that it depends on the fraction of xenon in the mixture. The dependence of the coefficient of electron accommodation to the microparticle surface on the xenon concentration in the mixture is obtained and explained from a physical point of view.