非链式化学HF(DF)激光器工作气体中电子分离的非稳定性和气体放电等离子体的自组织现象(英文)

报道了放电引发的非链式HF(DF)激光器中的激活介质由电子碰撞负离子分离引起的电离非稳定性。这种非稳性出现在电极空间分离、脉冲CO2激光加热的基于SF6的混合气体的大体积放电中。实验研究了自引发体放电过程中由激光加热引起的放电等离子体的自组织现象以及由此在放电间隙的大部分区域形成的准周期等离子体结构。重点分析了等离子体结构随气体温度和注入能量的变化,讨论了等离子体自组织对电子碰撞分离不稳定性所产生的影响,解释了混合气体中由于电子碰撞使负离子消失导致的单等离子体通道移动的产生机理。     

非链式脉冲DF激光器的关键技术（英文）

基于化学反应的非链式脉冲DF激光器是产生3.5～4.1μm波段的有效相干辐射光源,具有存储能量水平高等优点。这些优点使得该激光器倍受中红外领域激光研究者的重视。为了更好地提高非链式脉冲DF激光器的输出性能,研制高能量水平的DF激光器,本文详细介绍了自引发大体积放电技术、混合气体配比技术、循环冷却技术等DF激光器关键技术,重点介绍了自引发大体积放电技术。这几种技术将为研制高性能DF激光器提供理论指导。     

射频容性耦合Ar/O_2等离子体的轴向诊断

实验通过朗缪尔探针辅助激光诱导解离技术对27.12 MHz驱动的不同含氧量条件下容性耦合Ar等离子体进行了诊断研究.通过质量流量计改变通入Ar与O_2的流量以得到不同含氧量的等离子体.结果表明,由于氧气的分解吸附反应需要消耗电子,致使朗缪尔探针测得的电子能量概率函数(EEPF)的中能部分随着含氧量的上升而下降.射频输入功率增加时电子密度的上升引起了电子-电子碰撞热化,从而使EEPF由Druyvesteyn分布向麦克斯韦分布转变.在功率电极附近,由于鞘层边界附近的电子氧气分子碰撞时的分解吸附反应使得鞘层区附近的负离子密度较高.另外,负离子密度沿着轴向呈现勺型分布的特征.这主要是由于负离子在双极电场作用下向等离子体放电中心扩散的过程中所存在的负离子产生与损失的反应过程导致.     

非链式脉冲DF激光器的关键技术(英文)

基于化学反应的非链式脉冲DF激光器是产生3.5～4.1μm波段的有效相干辐射光源,具有存储能量水平高等优点。这些优点使得该激光器倍受中红外领域激光研究者的重视。为了更好地提高非链式脉冲DF激光器的输出性能,研制高能量水平的DF激光器,本文详细介绍了自引发大体积放电技术、混合气体配比技术、循环冷却技术等DF激光器关键技术,重点介绍了自引发大体积放电技术。这几种技术将为研制高性能DF激光器提供理论指导。     

超强激光等离子体相互作用中的自生磁场与能量运输

采用数值方法研究了超强激光与等离子体相互作用中产生的电磁不稳定性及其产生机制。用Spitzer-Harm理论分析了电子热传导中能量的运输情况,观察到由激光的非等方加热引起的电子纵向加热现象。结果表明,不稳定性激发的强电磁场使电子束在非常短的距离内沉积能量,同时对在激光有质动力推开电子时形成的电子热流产生抑制作用。同时发现,随着自生磁场的增长,电子被磁场波捕捉,热运输受抑制。     

激光等离子体相互作用的局域振荡电子加热机制

 用2.5维粒子模拟程序模拟了超强激光与等离子体的相互作用过程，发现超强激光可以通过J×B加热机制加速电子并引起电荷分离，从而产生很强的静电场并形成电场势阱，电子在静电场势阱中振荡，被多次加速，使得高速电子被甩出势阱，进而增强电荷分离，然后静电场结构被破坏，静电势能传给电子。在此过程中，电子在此阱中作局域振荡，并且被J×B机制多次加速，激光的能量会有效地传给电子，使电子能量高达10MeV。这是一种新的电子加热机制，称之为局域振荡电子加热机制。     

二次电子发射和负离子存在时的鞘层结构特性

 建立了包括电子、离子、器壁发射二次电子以及负离子多种成分的等离子体无碰撞鞘层的基本模型,讨论了二次电子发射和负离子对1维稳态等离子体鞘层结构的影响,并且分析了多种成分等离子体鞘层内的二次电子和负离子的相互作用。结果表明：二次电子发射系数的增加和负离子含量的增加,都将导致鞘层的厚度有所减小;二次电子发射系数超过临界发射系数之后,鞘层不再是离子鞘。随着器壁材料二次电子发射系数的增加,鞘层中的负离子密度分布也逐渐增加;负离子的增加,导致二次电子临界发射系数有所增加。另外,在等离子体鞘层中二次电子发射和负离子的存在,也影响着鞘层中电子的放电特性与器壁材料的腐蚀。     

神光Ⅱ黑腔等离子体时间分辨的电子温度诊断

在神光Ⅱ强激光装置上,用条纹晶体谱仪对埋点于黑腔靶内壁上的双示踪Ti和Cr材料的激光等离子体高离化态离子发射的X射线谱线进行实验测量,获得超高时间分辨的X射线细致结构谱线。用碰撞辐射模型计算了非局域热动平衡的等离子体布居数,组态平均速率系数由一级微扰理论计算,电子波函数由Hartree-Fock Slater自洽场方法计算,给出了Ti和Cr激光等离子体在电子密度为1019~1022cm-3范围内的He-α线强比与电子温度的关系曲线。采用等电子X射线谱线法,获得了黑腔靶激光等离子体冕区的电子温度随激光脉冲加热从低温到高温、然后缓慢下降的演化过程,其峰值达到2.05 keV。     

激光等离子体相互作用中的电磁不稳定性和能量运输

利用相对论电磁粒子模拟程序研究了超强激光与等离子体相互作用中产生的电磁不稳定性的发展演化过程.讨论了电磁不稳定性的发生和非线性饱和过程.给出了不稳定性的线性增长率和各向异性参量之间的函数关系,用Spitzer-Harm理论分析了电子热传导中能量的运输情况,观察到由激光的非等方加热引起的电子纵向加热现象.结果表明,不稳定...     

负离子与气体碰撞双电子脱附的实验研究

负离子与原子碰撞的电子脱附过程是普遍存在于等离子体物理、天体物理、电离层物理学中的重要过程.实验和理论的研究有助于加深我们对于离子与原子作用过程以及负离子结构的认识.本文主要介绍负离子的双电子脱附截面测量实验装置,并给出对于H-与He碰撞的双电子脱附截面的测试结果以及与其他实验数据的比较,证明我们的装置是可靠的.一系列的实验正在进行中.     

High power self-controled volume discharge based molecular lasers

An investigation was made of the characteristics of the formation of a selfcontroled volume discharge for the pumping of CO₂ lasers, i.e. self-sustained volume discharge (SSVD), which involved a preliminary filling of a discharge gap by an electron flux from an auxiliary-discharge plasma. We have found that this method was suitable for large interelectrode gaps, that distortion of the electric field in the gap by the space charge of the electron flux played an important role in the formation of the discharge and that the electrodes could be profiled dynamically during propagation of an electron flux through the discharge gap and a SSVD could form in systems with a strongly inhomogeneous field. High power SSVD based CO₂ laser systems have been created and investigated. Another type of self-controled volume discharge without pre-ionization, i.e. a selfinitiated volume discharge (SIVD), in nonchain HF lasers with SF₆−C₂H₆ mixtures was investigated as well in our review. We have established that, after the primary local electrical breakdown of the discharge gap, the SIVD spreads along the gap in directions perpendicular to that of the electric field by means of the successive formation of overlapping diffuse channels under a discharge voltage close to its quasi-steady state value. It is shown that, as new channels appear, the current flowing through the channels formed earlier decreases. The volume occupied by the SIVD increases with increase in the energy deposited in the plasma and, when the discharge volume is confined by a dielectric surface, the discharge voltage increases simultaneously with increase in the current. The possible mechanisms which explain the observed phenomena, namely the dissociation of SF₆ molecules and electron attachment SF₆ molecules, are examined. A simple analytical model, which makes it possible to describe these mechanisms at a qualitative level, was developed. High power SIVD based HF(DF) lasers have been developed and tested.     

Emission from a sulfur-hexafluoride volume discharge induced by attachment instability

Characteristics of a low-pressure volume discharge in SF₆ are investigated. The discharge with a spherical anode-plane cathode electrode system was induced by attachment instability. It is found that applying a dc voltage (U _ch≤1.3 kV) to the anode in the absence of a confining dielectric wall results in the ignition of a repetitive discharge (f=0.1–120 kHz). The spatial, frequency, and current-voltage characteristics of the volume discharge; plasma emission in the spectral range 200–700 nm; and the waveforms of the discharge voltage, current, and plasma emission are investigated. It is shown that the plasma under study exists in the form of a domain (autosoliton) and that the volume discharge is self-induced because, during attachment instability, the plasma itself acts as a switch enabling repetitive pulsed operation. The results obtained can be applied to studying the physics and technology of electric-discharge chemical HF (DF) lasers based on nonchain reactions and to developing high-aperture low-pressure repetitive Ar-, Kr-, and Xe-fluoride lamps with low-corrosive working media (low-pressure mixtures of Ar, Kr, and Xe with SF₆).     

Effects of secondary electron emission on plasma characteristics in dual-frequency atmospheric pressure helium discharge by fluid modeling

A one-dimensional(1D) fluid simulation of dual frequency discharge in helium gas at atmospheric pressure is carried out to investigate the role of the secondary electron emission on the surfaces of the electrodes. In the simulation, electrons,ions of He~+ and He_2~+, metastable atoms of He*and metastable molecules of He*_2 are included. It is found that the secondary electron emission coefficient significantly influences plasma density and electric field as well as electron heating mechanisms and ionization rate. The particle densities increase with increasing SEE coefficient from 0 to 0.3 as well as the sheath's electric field and electron source. Moreover, the SEE coefficient also influences the electron heating mechanism and electron power dissipation in the plasma and both of them increase with increasing SEE coefficient within the range from 0 to 0.3 as a result of increasing of electron density.     

Probe Measurements in Electronegative Plasmas: Modeling the Perturbative Effects of the Probe‐Holder

A basic property of an electronegative plasma is its separation into two distinct regions: an ion‐ion region far from boundaries, where the densities of positive and negative ions are higher then electron density, and a near‐boundary electron‐ion region, where negative ions have practically negligible density. This is due to the influence of the ambipolar electric field, which depends on electron (not negative ion) plasma parameters. This electric field “holds off” negative ions from the boundary, as the ions have lower mobility and temperature compared to the electrons. Therefore, negative ions will be repelled by any object inserted into the plasma. This can lead to errors in measurements of negative ion and electron parameters by any invasive method. Numerical modeling of electric probes in an argon‐oxygen plasma clearly demonstrates possible errors of direct measurements of negative ion probe current. This can also affect results from the photo‐detachment method and direct measurements of negative ion energy distribution (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Prospects for Practical Applications of a Discharge Chemical HF Laser as a Coherent Source for IR Holography

Preliminary experimental results on recording of phase and amplitude holograms using the radiation of electric-discharge HF lasers are presented, and prospects for applications of such lasers in diagnostics of various objects are discussed. It is shown that lasers with homogeneous working medium may generate coherent radiation with a coherence length of greater than 6 m in the absence of mode selection. Methods for control of spatial distribution of electron concentration in excimer and discharge chemical HF (DF) lasers and distributions of the main combustible components are considered. Deposition of holographic identification marks on artworks is studied.     

Composition of a non-self-sustained discharge plasma in an N2: O2: H2O mixture at atmospheric pressure

The plasma composition of a discharge sustained by a pulsed ionization source of μs duration is computed. It is shown that, within a time interval of ∼10⁻⁶ s after the ionization pulse, the dependences of the ion densities on the electric field and ionization source power show features that should be taken into account when developing laser systems for controlling electric discharges in long air gaps. The effect of the plasma composition on the efficiency of electron photodetachment from negative O ₂ ⁻ ions is investigated by the example of a discharge initiation system consisting of two lasers with different pulse durations and wavelengths. Plasmochemical processes under conditions of enhanced electron photodetachment from negative O ₂ ⁻ ions are simulated. It is shown that photodetachment can increase the electron density for a time of <10⁻⁵ s.     

ZnS:Cr and ZnSe:Cr thin‐film waveguide structures as electrically pumped laser media with an impact excitation mechanism

ZnS:Cr and ZnSe:Cr are the focus of studies as media for broadly tunable optically pumped lasers operating in the near‐ and mid‐IR regions. It is of great interest to obtain such lasers electrically pumped. The effective electrical excitation of Cr²⁺ ions was demonstrated only in the case of the impact mechanism for thin‐film structures with insulator layers between an electroluminescent film and electrodes, which prevent avalanche breakdown at high electric field (≥ 1 MV/cm). To obtain lasing, the waveguide electroluminescent structures were used. For the first time, the stimulated emission and the laser oscillation were demonstrated in the ZnS:Cr waveguide structures. Although the lasing is unstable as yet, these results lay the foundations of a new direction in laser physics aimed at creation of electrically pumped lasers by dint of impact excitation. Published results concerning various aspects of ZnS:Cr and ZnSe:Cr thin films and waveguide structures as promising electrically pumped laser media are reviewed. The causes of the instability of the laser oscillation and means of improving their characteristics are also considered.     

Performance studies of a pulsed HF laser with a sliding discharge plasma cathode

The plasma electrode design concept is applied for the first time to an HF laser. The discharge along the surface of a dielectric (sliding discharge) is used as a plasma cathode for the main laser discharge. The laser operates at atmospheric pressure with a gas mixture of He/SF₆/C₃H₈. Details are presented on the efficiency of energy transfer, the dependence of laser performance on circuit parameters, gas mixture, relative energy loading and time delay between the plasma electrode and main discharges. The F atom production rate is estimated from the linear dependence of the output energy on the electric charge passed through the discharge. Output energies of 600 mJ were obtained at 1.6% efficiency from a small active discharge of 108 cm₃ volume and 38 cm length, while the maximum specific input and output energies were 370 J/1 and 5.7 J/1, respectively. These values compare favourably with those reported in the literature for non-chain-reaction-type gas mixtures at 1 atm pressure and demonstrate that the plasma electrode design is a powerful scheme for developing gas-discharge lasers.     

High-power high-density-gas lasers

This paper presents a review of the work devoted to the creation and investigation of high-power pulsed uv, ir, and visible lasers pumped with an electron beam, a self-sustained discharge with uv preionization, and a discharge controlled and initiated by an electron beam. Attention is focused on exciplex (XeCl, KrF, KrCl) lasers, lasers operating by atomic transitions of xenon, nonchain HF lasers, and Penning neon plasma lasers. Institute of High Current Electronics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 37–42, August, 1999.