The transport properties of hot electrons in a xenon/methane mixture

The results are given of numerical solution of the Boltzmann equation in a binomial approximation in view of elastic and inelastic electron collisions in $\mathrm{Xe}+\mathrm{CH}_4$ mixtures and in pure methane. The electron energy distribution functions obtained are used to calculate the electron transport coefficients for $E/N$ values of up to several Townsends, i.e., the drift velocity, mobility, average and characteristic energies, diffusion coefficient. The results of calculation for pure methane fit the available experimental data. A similarity rule is found for the electron transport coefficients in a $\mathrm{Xe}+\mathrm{CH}_4$ mixture with different concentrations of methane molecules, which enables one to determine the values of transport coefficients in a mixture with a minor (less than $30$ percents) methane content.