Electron attachment to $\mathrm{N}_2\mathrm{O}$ molecules in weakly ionized plasmas

The mechanism for attachment of electrons to $\rm N_2\rm O$ molecules in weakly ionized plasmas in the presence of an external electric field is studied. The rate constant for dissociative attachment is calculated including a nonequilibrium electron energy distribution. It is shown that the efficient three-body attachment observed experimentally in electron “swarms” can be explained by dissociative attachment to $\rm N_2\rm O$ molecules and ion-molecule reactions that lead to the freeing of electrons or to the formation of complex negative ions.