Validity of the two-term Boltzmann approximation employed in the fluid model for high-power microwave breakdown in gas

The electron energy distribution function (EEDF), predicted by the Boltzmann equation solver BOLSIG+ based on the two-term approximation, is introduced into the fluid model for simulating the high-power microwave (HPM) breakdown in argon, nitrogen, and air, and its validity is examined by comparing with the results of particle-in-cell Monte Carlo collision (PIC/MCC) simulations as well as the experimental data. Numerical results show that, the breakdown time of the fluid model with the Maxwellian EEDF matches that of the PIC/MCC simulations in nitrogen; however, in argon under high pressures, the results from the Maxwellian EEDF were poor. This is due to an overestimation of the energy tail of the Maxwellian EEDF in argon breakdown. The prediction of the fluid model with the BOLSIG+ EEDF, however, agrees very well with the PIC/MCC prediction in nitrogen and argon over a wide range of pressures. The accuracy of the fluid model with the BOLSIG+ EEDF is also verified by the experimental results of the air breakdown.