XXXVI. The lateral diffusion of a stream of ions in a gas

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Abstract
The problem of determining theoretically the spatial distribution of ions or of electrons moving in a stream in a steady state of motion through a gas under the action of a uniform electric field is of considerable practical importance. It is generally solved by employing the standard methods of the theory of the conduction of heat and of diffusion, but in general the solutions appear in series form from which the labour of computing the distribution of the stream over a receiving electrode may be very considerable, although in special circumstances simplifications can be introduced. In this paper an alternative analysis is presented which affords solutions in a form notably more convenient for the purposes of practical computation, and leads to some generalizations of theory. The more important cases encountered in practice are discussed, and the paper also includes a section on the effects of magnetic fields.

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