The force on a moving charge in an electron gas

The force on a moving ion in an electron gas to which an external electric field may be applied, is investigated in a semiclassical approximation, using a simple collision-time model for the mechanism which keeps the electron gas in equilibrium. It is found that in this simple model the screening of the ion has no effect on the force, so that the only correction to the force acting is that due to the ‘wind effect’, the momentum transfer due to the scattering of the electrons which are streaming past the ion.

A complete solution of the equations is given for a weakly charged ion, to first order in the charge.