Abstract
A microscopic analysis of the processes involved in the fluorescence emission of nitrogen molecules induced by electronic collisions is carried out for a large range of incident energies (eV to GeV) and pressures (Pa to atmospheric conditions). The contribution of secondary electrons to that fluorescence is calculated by means of detailed Monte Carlo simulations. For this purpose, a novel analytical approximation of the energy spectrum of secondary electrons is used. The results of the simulations are shown to be useful for the interpretation of available experimental data. For instance, they account for the pressure dependence of the fluorescence observed in laboratory experiments. The conditions under which emitted fluorescence is proportional to deposited energy are also studied. Finally, these calculations provide an absolute value of the fluorescence yield consistent with available experimental data.
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