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We have developed a new method of applying the microwave cavity perturbation technique that allows us to measure simultaneously real and imaginary conductivity decays. We report here results of afterglow decay measurements for air and N2 excited by an intense e-beam pulse. From these data, we calculate electron densities arid electron temperatures using exact expressions for the conductivities. The electron density decays for laboratory and synthetic air are approximately 10 and 40 times longer than predicted based on electron attachment for humid and dry air, respectively. Ambipolar diffusion coefficients and dissociative recombination rates measured at low pressures are inconsistent with previous results because our deduced electron temperatures are much higher than values used in previous studies. The decays in humid air appear to be dominated by ion conductivity.