Third-order transport properties of ions in electrostatic fields Original Research Article

Third-order transport properties are calculated through a three-temperature kinetic theory for ions moving in gases under the action of a homogeneous electrostatic field. The analytic procedure is found to be in good agreement with independently obtained numerical results, as well as with calculations from molecular dynamics simulation of the ionic motion. Finally, a relation which enables the calculation of all components of third-order transport coefficients from characteristic integrals of velocity correlation functions is suggested and tested successfully.