Internal charging in low density polyethylene irradiated by energetic electrons

Basing on the range theory of European Space Agency (ESA) and Touzin´s charge deposition theories, a 1-D internal charging model has been employed in simulating the effects of incident electron flux (IEF) and irradiation time on deep dielectric charging (DDC). It is calculated that the distribution of electric field, conductivity and space charge under both different IEF and time. The results indicate there is an IEF threshold, about 2.0×10¹²/m²s, on which conductivity mechanism changes and the development velocity of electric field distortion decreases. Moreover, thermal assisted hopping conductivity (TAH) is the vital influence factor of the internal charging/discharging. The results are useful for understanding the mechanism of charge transport and internal charging/discharging phenomenon.