next up previous contents index
Next: Dynamic Range Up: No Title Previous: Drift Tube

Drift Velocity

  The drift velocity in an electric field is given by

where

is typically arranged to be of the order of . In the presence of a magnetic field B, the drift velocity is reduced, and the drift direction is no longer along the electric field. The apparent drift velocity is

where is the drift angle given by

This assumes B and E to be orthogonal. For details, see [Sauli91]. More general formulae are given in [Blum93].



Rudolf K. Bock, 9 April 1998