Radiation losses of a theta pinch plasma in the wave-length range 10–200 Å

In order to measure the radiation losses of a theta pinch plasma (electron densityn _e=1?5×10¹⁶ cm^?3, electron temperatureT _e=150?350 eV), a grazing incidence spectrograph is absolutely calibrated in the range 10–200 Å. This is done in two steps: First the measured intensity ratios of lines emitted by hydrogen-like ions are compared with their calculated values thus yielding the relative sensitivity of the instrument. The result is confirmed by incorporating well known intensity ratios of lithium-like ions. Secondly absolute calibration is possible by hanging the spectrograph on an absolutely calibrated monochromator via the branching-ratios of lithium-like ions. Radiation losses from the plasma turn out to be negligible as compared with heat conduction losses and the total energy radiated is found to be small compared with the energy content of the electrons, if the impurity concentration does not exceed 0.5 percent. The radiation is found to be predominantly emitted by the resonance lines of the oxygen and carbon ions O VI, O VII, O VIII, CV, CVI whereas continuum radiation and the contribution from other ions are negligible small. However, in discharge where the oxygen concentration reaches 5 percent, radiation losses can exceed the losses by heat conduction during the early phase of the discharge. But still the final electron temperature is not significantly influenced by the impurities.     

Cathode Sheath Instability at Frequencies Near the Ion Plasma Frequency

We consider steady-state and nonstationary processes in a near-cathode region. Equations describing the plasma dynamics near a cathode at frequencies close to the ion plasma frequency are derived, and solutions of these equations for various zones of a discharge gap are found. A piecewise-uniform model of a cathode sheath is developed, which points out the possibility of an instability at a frequency slightly less than the near-cathode ion plasma frequency. The gas pressure effect on the instability threshold with respect to the discharge current is considered. The obtained results are in good agreement with the data of experimental studies of the cathode sheath in a hollow-cathode discharge.     

Emission characteristics of a barrier discharge in an Ar-H2O mixture

We have experimentally studied the UV radiation of a low-temperature barrier discharge plasma in an Ar-H₂O mixture. The spectral interval 300–400 nm has been examined in detail. Addition of argon with a pressure of 24 kPa to a barrier discharge in water vapor at a pressure of ～0.1 kPa leads to a ninefold increase in the UV radiation power of excited hydroxyl molecules. An increase in the duration of the UV radiation pulse of the mixture in the longitudinal discharge decay has been achieved for the first time, which may be direct evidence of energy transfer from metastable argon atoms to water molecules. An estimate of the upper boundary of the dissociative excitation rate constant of hydroxyl molecules OH*(A ²Σ⁺) upon interaction of metastable argon atoms with water molecules has been obtained.     

Distribution of plasma parameters in the cathode region of a glow discharge in nitrogen

The experiments with a low-pressure glow discharge in nitrogen indicate the formation of a potential well for thermal electrons and the sign reversal of the electric field near the concentration maximum of the near-cathode plasma. Depending on reduced discharge length pL, one or two field reversal points exist, which correlate with the sign of the anode fall (negative or positive, respectively).     

Millimeterwave spectroscopy of transient molecules produced in a DC discharge

The construction of a millimeterwave spectrometer to study the pure rotational spectra of transient molecules in the gas phase is presented. The spectrometer is a source-modulated system combined with a free space glass discharge cell. Millimeterwave radiation has been produced using a frequency multiplier, the fundamental radiation source being klystrons. The spectrometer has been used to study the millimeterwave spectrum of carbon monosulfide (CS) and fluorine cyanide (FCN) produced inside the cell in a low pressure DC discharge of precursor gases. The quadrupole hyperfine structures of³³S and¹⁴N nucleus of CS and FCN have been resolved, measured and analysed.     

On the effect of SHI irradiation on dielectric properties of Y3+xFe5−xO12 (x=0.0–0.6) system

The present work aims to investigate the pre- and post-effect of 50 MeV Li³⁺ ion irradiation at a fluence of 5×10¹³ ions/cm² on the dielectric properties of Y_3+xFe_5?xO₁₂, x=0.0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6, garnet system over broad temperature, 300–673 K, and frequency, 100 Hz–13 MHz, ranges. Thermal variation of ac resistivity measurements suggests that the mechanism responsible for conduction in the system is polaron hopping. The observed modifications in dielectric properties after swift heavy ion irradiation are mainly due to the modifications of the metal–insulator contacts due to radiation damage-induced disorder and irradiation-induced point/cluster of defects in the material and also compressive strain generated in the lattice structure. The electric modulus presentation and the complex impedance spectral analysis have been employed to study the relaxation process. The YFeO₃ phase is found to be irradiation hard phase as compared with the garnet phase.     

Optical characteristics of a transverse volume discharge in a helium-hydrogen chloride mixture

The emission characteristics of a transverse volume discharge in a He: HCl = 10: 1 mixture at a total pressure of 1–8 kPa were investigated. The plasma volume was 18 × 2.2 × 1 cm³, the interelectrode distance was d=2.2 cm, and the charging voltage of the main storage capacitor was 5–10 kV. The emission characteristics of the discharge were studied in the spectral range of 500–1000 nm. This type of discharge can be used in pulsed dry-etching plasmochemical reactors. The density of atomic chlorine radicals in the plasma was optimized in terms of the pressure of the initial working He-HCl mixture by measuring the relative radiation intensity of the Cl 837(5)-nm spectral line. The density of molecular radicals can be monitored indirectly by recording radiation from the excited chlorine-free decomposition products of HCl molecules (the H_α 656-nm line).     

Different approaches to fluid simulation of the longitudinal structure of the atmospheric-pressure microdischarge in helium

Numerical results for different versions of the fluid model of an atmospheric-pressure glow discharge in helium are compared. It is shown that efforts to improve the fluid model are to a large extent prospectless and often even impair previous results. This is because the fluid model has fundamental limitations when describing heavily nonequilibrium media, such as the gas discharge. In such systems, the properties of an ensemble of electrons cannot be reduced to the behavior of an “averaged particle,” which is characterized by the averaged concentration, averaged directional velocity, and averaged energy (temperature). In particular, the values of the electron temperature in the near-cathode plasma obtained by fluid simulation far exceed both the available experimental data and physical estimates. It is therefore necessary to develop consistent kinetic techniques to correctly describe the behavior of electrons in the near-cathode plasma.     

A study of molybdenum radiation from alcator A

Radiation emitted by molybdenum impurity ions in the Alcator A tokamak has been investigated. A grazing incidence monochromator photometrically calibrated against synchrotron radiation was used to determine absolute brightnesses of emission lines and the role of molybdenum radiative losses in the plasma discharge power balance. At line average electron densities of 3 × 10¹⁴ cm^?3, molybdenum radiation from the central (0–3 cm) region was equal to ～17% of the local ohmic heating power, implying radiation from molybdenum ions does not dominate the power loss from the central part of the plasma. The temporal behavior of molybdenum ions injected by the laser blow off technique at $\text{n}{}_{\mathrm{e}}\text{= 3 × 10}{}^{14}\text{cm}{}^{\mathrm{?3}}$ indicated that the molybdenum ion confinement time was finite in conflict with neoclassical theory. At lower densities (1–2 × 10¹⁴ cm^?3) the radiation from intrinsic molybdenum increased faster than the electron density during the discharge, indicating a buildup of molybdenum ions in the plasma.     

Model of pulsed electric discharge expansion in dense gas taking into account electron and radiative thermal conductivities. I. Expansion mechanism

Using an ionization sensor, it was found that weakly ionized plasma with an ionization degree larger than 10^?6 is formed under exposure to UV radiation of a high-current pulsed electric discharge in gas (air, nitrogen, xenon, and krypton) at atmospheric pressure at a distance of ～1.2–2.5 cm from the discharge boundary. It was shown that the structure of such discharge includes, in addition to the discharge channel, a dense shell and a shock wave, also a region of weakly ionized and excited gas before the shock wave front. The mechanism of discharge expansion in dense gas is ionization and heating of gas involved in the discharge due to absorption of the UV energy flux from the discharge channel and the flux of the thermal energy transferred from the discharge channel to the discharge shell due to electron thermal conductivity.     

Comparative studies on potential dependent electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of cathode material 0.5Li2MnO3·0.5LiNi0.5Mn0.5O2 for the initial two charging cycles

Cathode material 0.5Li₂MnO₃·0.5LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ is successfully synthesized by citrate acid assisted sol–gel method and shows pretty good electro-chemical performance. To elucidate the electro-chemical reactions and charge carrier transportation kinetics in the charge–discharge process, series of electro-chemical impedance spectra for the first and the second charge process are measured on multiple given state of charges. The rapid augmentation of resistance to electronic conduction and ionic conduction within the voltage range 4.45–4.6 V where the removal of Li₂O from Li₂MnO₃ component takes place gives us more evidence about the complicated “structurally integrated” feature of this material. The relatively large span of the arc responsible for electronic conduction and the extremely large Mn³⁺ related charge transfer resistance at the beginning of the second charging indicate that after one complete charge–discharge cycle, Li₂MnO₃ and LiNi_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ domains still reserve its original structure and will keep its structure for the followed cycles.     

Dynamics of VUV spectra in fast capillary discharge

The temporal behavior of VUV spectra of capillary discharge with a rate of a current rise on the order of 10¹² A/s is studied. The current is generated using an inductive storage unit with a plasma-erosion opening switch. This discharge is accompanied by the generation of a shock wave on an inner wall of a capillary and by its subsequent cumulation on the discharge axis. The capillary is prefilled with argon at a pressure of 80 Pa. Radiation spectra are obtained using an off-Rowland spectrograph based on a concave grating with optimal focusing in the wavelength range of 20 nm. The radiation is recorded with a detector based on a microchannel plate with a time resolution of 20 ns, which makes it possible to separate the spectra of two phases of the discharge, i.e., the cumulation phase of the shock wave in argon that fills the capillary (T _e ∼ 20–30 eV) and the phase of subsequent discharge in a substance desorbed from the capillary wall T _e ∼ 50 eV).     

Small polaron hopping conduction mechanism in Ni-doped LaFeO3

The electrical transport properties of LaFe_{1? x} Ni _x O₃ (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) bulk samples were investigated over a wide temperature range, i.e. 9–300 K. Powder x-ray diffraction patterns at room temperature showed that all samples were formed in a single phase. However, a structural transformation was observed from orthorhombic (Pnma) to rhombohedral crystal symmetry at x > 0.5 in Ni-doped samples, which is supported by the electrical transport analysis. Temperature-dependent resistivity data were fitted using Mott's variable-range hopping model for a limited range of temperatures to calculate the hopping distance and the density of states at Fermi level. It was found that all parameters vary systematically with an increase in Ni concentration. Moreover, the resistivity data were also fitted using the small polaron hopping (SPH) model. The non-adiabatic SPH conduction mechanism is followed up to 50% Ni concentration, whereas an adiabatic hopping conduction mechanism is active above it. Such a change in the conduction mechanism is accompanied by subtle electronically induced structural changes involving Fe³⁺–O–Fe³⁺ and Fe³⁺–O–Ni³⁺ bond angles and bond lengths. Thus, we suggest that the transport properties can be explained according to the additional delocalization of charge carriers induced by Ni doping.     

DC Townsend Discharge in Nitrogen: Temperature‐Dependent Phenomena

Low‐current Townsend discharge in nitrogen has been studied in the temperature range of T = 100–300 K in a semiconductor‐gas‐discharge structure. It was found that the sustaining voltage U_S increases with time when a current is passed through the structure at low T. This effect was not observed at room temperature. A hypothesis is put forward that a film of a neutral phase of nitrogen is formed on the electrodes under cryogenic discharge conditions. The presence of the condensed thin‐film phase leads to a decrease in the secondary electron emission from the electrode and to a corresponding increase in U_S. A possible mechanism of the phenomenon is associated with the formation of large neutral aggregates in the form of [N⁺₂(N₂)_n]^– in the gas discharge volume. The condensation of these aggregates seems to yield a phase that is comparatively stable at cryogenic temperatures (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Multicolor Laser Generation Resulting from a Chain Reaction of Atmospheric Nitrogen Oxidation Initiated by an Electric Discharge in Air

It was demonstrated that the luminous cloud arising during an explosion in air initiated by an electric discharge produces superluminescence and laser generation in the visible spectrum. Both these types of radiation presumably originate from the stimulated emission of NO* (blue light) and NO*₂ (orange and red) molecules and N₂O(¹S) exciplexes (green). In addition, if the process occurs inside an optical resonator, the mixture of nitrogen oxidation products with air autoignites.     

Near-cathode potential drop in a vacuum diode with explosive emission of electrons

The near-cathode potential drop u_K is studied in a high-voltage high-current (U=20–40 kV, i=100–500 A) vacuum diode with a cathode operating under explosive emission of electrons. The magnitude of U_K is estimated from oscillograms of the probe current under conditions of breakdown of the layer between the probe and the cathode-flare plasma. It is shown that u_K is the same order of magnitude as the near-cathode potential drop in vacuum arcs. U_K does not change greatly when there are sharp rises in diode current, indicating that oscillations in diode current are probably related to processes at the boundary for drawing of electrons from the flare plasma.     

Generation of high-energy electrons in a transverse slot-cathode nanosecond discharge at working gas medium pressures

Experimental data for the electrical and optical characteristics of a transverse slot-cathode nanosecond discharge are reported. The discharge is initiated in He at a discharge current of 1–500 A and a working gas pressure in a discharge chamber ranging from 10² to 10⁴ Pa. It is shown that the cathode current density is much (several orders of magnitude) higher than the total current density of an equivalent abnormal discharge. The electrical characteristics of an open discharge and a discharge confined by dielectric walls are found to differ considerably. Electrons passing through the cathode fall region acquire a high energy (on the order of 1 keV) under the given conditions. The fast electron relaxation conditions correlate with the initiation and evolution of the discharge. A pattern of the discharge evolution is derived from experimental data. A way of estimating the coefficient of electron emission from the cathode plasma is suggested.     

Intensity enhancement of the C5+ Balmer radiation excited by capillary discharge pumping

The intensity of the 18.2 nm Balmer α-transition in C⁵⁺ excited in a capillary discharge using alumina and polyacetal tubes was studied. For discharge currents of up to 80 kA in tubes filled with C₂H₂, intense radiation from the excitation of C⁵⁺ ions and from the recombination of C⁶⁺ ions was observed. With increasing length of the discharge, the intensity in the falling edge of the recombination pulse rises faster than proportional. In contrast to previous investigations, gain by stimulated emission is excluded. The enhancement is ascribed to an optical guiding of the XUV radiation in the dense plasma created by ablation from the tube walls. Received: 1 April 1999 / Revised version: 22 July 1999 / Published online: 30 November 1999     

Optical and Kinetic Characteristics of an Atmospheric Pressure Pulsed Discharge in Helium with Iron Vapor

Technical Physics - The emission spectrum of a near-cathode plasma of a pulsed discharge in atmospheric pressure helium reveals spectral lines of electrode material. Numerical simulation of the...