The influence of a magnetic field on the thermal diffusion of polyatomic gas-noble gas mixtures

Experiments on the influence of a magnetic field on the thermal diffusion (DT) have been performed. Both the transverse coefficient, DtrT, as well as the difference between the longitudinal coefficients, D⊥T − DT, were measured for binary mixtures of N2, nD2, HD and nH2 with the nob le gases Ar, Ne and He and for the system pH2Ar. For most of thesesystems, the results can be adequately described with the dominant angular momentum polarization of the form WJJ. For some mixtures, however, a significant contribution from a second polarization (viz. WJ) was found to be present. The results are expressed in terms of effective molecular cross sections. Using these results and those earlier obtained for the magnetic field effect on the thermal conductivity, an estimate is made about the magnitude of the Senftleben-Beenakker effect on the diffusion.