The Viehland–Mason theory is a two-temperature theory for charged and neutral atoms, which explains how trace ions can have a substantially different temperature than dilute gas atoms. It is one of any of a number of kinetic theories of the transport of trace amounts of molecular ions through neutral gases under the influence of a uniform electrostatic field.
The Viehland–Mason theory is a two-temperature model for charged and uncharged particles, explaining how trace ions can have different temperatures from dilute gas atoms. It shares similarities with other kinetic theories that describe the transport of trace molecular ions through neutral gases under uniform electrostatic fields.