Silicon Dioxide Coating Deposited by PDPs on PET Films and Influence on Oxygen Transmission Rate

A silicon dioxide film is deposited on the polyethyleneterephtMate （PET） by a penning discharge plasma source at ambient temperature in a high vacuum chamber. Hexamethyldisiloxane and oxygen are adopted as precursor and reactive reagent to grow a nano-scale silicon dioxide layer on polymer surfaces. For the chemical structure analysis X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is performed to demonstrate the content of Si, 0 and C elements. It is noticed that a higher silicon concentration is contained if Ar plasma is used for pretreatment. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that a micro-crystal silicon dioxide is formed by peak patterns at 25,84° and 21.8°. The barrier properties examined by oxygen transmission rate show that the permeation parameter of the 12-μm-thick PET film drastically decreases from 135 cc/m^2 per day for the control one to O. 713 cc/m^2 per day for the as-deposited one after Ar plasma treatment. The surface morphology related to the barrier properties of SiOx-coated polymers os also investigated by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy.     

Experimental observation of strong coupling effects on the dispersion of dust acoustic waves in a plasma

The dispersion properties of low frequency dust acoustic waves in the strong coupling regime are investigated experimentally in an argon plasma embedded with a mixture of kaolin and MnO₂ dust particles. The neutral pressure is varied over a wide range to change the collisional properties of the dusty plasma. In the low collisional regime the turnover of the dispersion curve at higher wave numbers and the resultant region of ∂ω/∂k<0$\partial \omega /\partial k<0$ are identified as signatures of dust–dust correlations. In the high collisional regime dust neutral collisions produce a similar effect and prevent an unambiguous identification of strong coupling effects.     

Investigation of Impurity Ion Transport with Laser Blow-off in HL-2A Tokamak

Non-recycling impurities are injected into ohmic HL-2A plasma for the first time. The impurities of titanium and aluminium are injected in the discharges with varying plasma density and current. The convection and diffusion process of the injected impurity ions during the inward phase are qualitatively investigated. The results show that the transport of impurities is much slower in the central region of the plasma than outside of it and that it is greatly enhanced during sawtooth crashes.     

Theoretical Computation for Non-Equilibrium Air Plasma Electrical Conductivity at Atmospheric Pressure

Based on the Chapman-Enskog theory, we calculate the electrical conductivity of non-equilibrium air plasma in the two-temperature model. We consider different degrees of non-equilibrium, which is defined by the ratio of electronic temperature to heavy particles temperature. The method of computing the composition of air plasma is demonstrated. After calculating the electrical conductivity from electron temperature 1000 K to 15000K, the present result is compared with Murphy＇s study [Plasma Chem. Plasma Process 15 （1994） 279] for equilibrium case. All the calculation is completed at atmospheric pressure. The present results may have potential applications in numerical calculation of non-equilibrium air plasma.     

Driven transverse shear waves in a strongly coupled dusty plasma

The linear dispersion properties of transverse shear waves in a strongly coupled dusty plasma are experimentally studied in a DC discharge device by exciting them in a controlled manner with a variable frequency external source. The dusty plasma is maintained in the strongly coupled fluid regime with (1<Γ?Γc) where Γ is the Coulomb coupling parameter and Γc is the crystallization limit. A dispersion relation for the transverse waves is experimentally obtained over a frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 2 Hz and found to show good agreement with viscoelastic theoretical results.     

Soft X-ray gain in hydrogenic ions: Line pumping,ionization pumping and transient excitation

In a plasma containing hydrogenic ions which is irradiated by appropriate X-ray radiation, gain on the n=3n=2 (Balmer-) transition can be generated. Depending on the spectrum of the pump radiation, there are two different ways of obtaining the inversion: direct excitation of the upper laser level by line radiation, or ionization of the hydrogenic ions by broad band radiation with subsequent population of the upper level by recombination.In the first part of this paper, we present numerical calculations which compare the two pumping methods. The gain is evaluated under idealized conditions, i.e., with a pump spectrum containing only radiation useful for generating an inversion and under more realistic conditions, with a pump spectrum containing radiation at other frequencies as well.In the second part of the paper the possibility of obtaining Balmer- gain in hydrogenic ions under highly transient conditions is investigated, assuming a pump pulse with a duration comparable to the decay time of the lower laser level. Considerable gain is predicted even for a black-body pump spectrum.     

Spectroscopic studies of laser-produced plasmas formed in CO and CO2 using 193, 266, 355, 532 and 1064 nm laser radiation

The wavelength dependence of laser-produced breakdown in air, CO and CO₂ has been studied using the four Nd:YAG harmonics (266 nm, 355 nm, 532 nm and 1064 nm) and the ArF-excimer laser (193 nm). Breakdown thresholds at these wavelengths are reported for air, CO and CO₂. A significant reduction in the breakdown thresholds for both CO and CO₂ is apparent when comparing 193 nm with the four Nd:YAG harmonics. This reduction is attributed to the resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization of metastable carbon atoms generated in the laser focus at the ArF-laser wavelength. In addition to reporting breakdown thresholds, the laser-produced plasmas in CO and CO₂ are characterized in terms of plasma temperatures and electron densities which are measured by time-resolved emission spectroscopy. Electron densities range from 9 × 10¹⁷ cm^–3 to 1 × 10₁₇ cm^–3. Excitation temperatures range from 22 000 K at 0.2 µs to 11 000 K at 2 µs. Ionization temperatures range from 22 000 K at 0.1 µs to 16 000 K at 2 µs. Evidence is presented to indicate that, like ArF-laser-produced plasmas, Nd:YAG-laser-produced plasmas formed in CO and CO₂ are in or near a state of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE) soon after their formation.     

Low ion velocity slowing down in a strongly magnetized plasma target

Ion projectile stopping at velocity smaller than target electron thermal velocity in a strong magnetic field, is investigated within a novel diffusion formulation (Dufty-Berkovsky), based on Green-Kubo integrands evaluated in magnetized one component plasma models, respectively framed on target ions and electrons. Analytic expressions are reported for slowing down orthogonal and parallel to an arbitrary large magnetic field, which are free from the usual uncertainties plaguing the standard perturbative derivations.     

Propagation of Ion-Acoustic Wave in an Inhomogeneous Dusty Plasma with. Dust Charge Fluctuation

The propagation of dust ion-acoustic wave in an inhomogeneous dusty plasma is studied by taking the dust charge fluctuation and collisions into account. It is shown that the dust charge fluctuation brings a phase shift to the wave. Furthermore, because of the presence of dust charge fluctuation, a new damping term rises, which makes the damping more sharply.     

Space- and time-resolved investigation of gain lines in Na-like copper

We report space- and time-resolved measurements of the gain coefficient for four gain lines in sodium-like copper. The lines investigated include the twon = 1 transitions 5g–4f and 5f–4d at 11.1 nm and 10.3nm and the twon = 2 transitions 6g–4f and 6f–4d at 7.2 nm, and 6.9 nm. The investigations were carried out for four irradiation intensities from 4 × 10¹² W/cm² to 3 × 10¹³ W/cm² using the Asterix IV high-power iodine laser at Garching (wavelength 1.315 µm, pulse duration 450 ps).The main results may be summarized as follows: On varying the laser intensity it was found that the highest values of the gain could be seen at an irradiation of 8 × 10¹² W/cm². For then = 1 lines the spatial maximum of the gain occurred at a distance of 300 µm from the target, and for then = 2 lines at 200 µm. The temporal gain maximum occurred at a time of 1.8 ns after the pulse maximum. The gain values range up to 2.6 cm^–1.Dedicated to the memory of the late Prof. Shi-shen Chen, who contributed to the early phase of this work     

Evolution of statistical properties of ion temperature gradient driven turbulence during the formation of internal transport barrier in a tokamak

Statistical properties of ion temperature gradient driven turbulence and anomalous flux are analysed in plasmas with low and improved energy confinement. The turbulence is simulated using the three dimensional fluid code, where the source is prescribed and the turbulence and temperature profile evolve self-consistently. The transition to the improved core confinement with an internal transport barrier is obtained by increasing the heating power. It is found that the momentums of the probability distribution function of flux fluctuations reduce to their Gaussian values when the transport barrier on the temperature profile forms. The formation of the oscillating structure with the properties of linear wave has been found at very high heating power. Presented at 5th Workshop “Role of Electric Fields in Plasma Confinement and Exhaust”, Montreux, Switzerland, June 23–24, 2002.     

Calculated Optical Properties of Dielectric Shell Coated Gold Nanorods

Optical absorption spectra of dielectric shell coated gold nanorods are simulated using the discrete dipole ap- proximation method. The influence of the aspect ratio, shell thickness, dielectric constant of the shell, and surrounding medium on the longitudinal resonance mode is investigated. It is found that the coated dielectric shell does not affect the trend in the dependence of resonance position on the aspect ratio, while it broadens the resonant line width and reduces the sensitivity of plasmon resonance in response to changes of the surrounding medium. F~arthermore, the difference of dielectric constants between the shell and surrounding medium plays an important role in determining the resonance position. The screening effect of the dielectric shell tends to be less apparent for a thicker shell thickness.Optical absorption spectra of dielectric shell coated gold nanorods are simulated using the discrete dipole ap- proximation method. The influence of the aspect ratio, shell thickness, dielectric constant of the shell, and surrounding medium on the longitudinal resonance mode is investigated. It is found that the coated dielectric shell does not affect the trend in the dependence of resonance position on the aspect ratio, while it broadens the resonant line width and reduces the sensitivity of plasmon resonance in response to changes of the surrounding medium. F~urthermore, the difference of dielectric constants between the shell and surrounding medium plays an important role in determining the resonance position. The screening effect of the dielectric shell tends to be less apparent for a thicker shell thickness.     

Large Relative Raman Shift for Molecules Adsorbed on Metallic Nano-particles

The enhancement of two order-of-magnitudes is observed in surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy （SERS） of gases （CO, C2H2, C2H4, etc） adsorbed on nitric acid-roughened metal foil. In addition, some Raman lines of gases adsorbed on these active substrates show larger frequency shifts and linewidth broadening, compared with the Raman spectroscopy of free gases. Using the two-oscillator electromagnetic model, we explain this phenomenon. It is related to the large non-regular particles on the active substrate we prepared. It is found that the parameters of the surface-plasmon dispersion, the distance of molecules from the surface and the radius of particles play crucial roles on the relative large Raman shifts.     

Discrete Dipole Approximation Aided Design Method for Nanostructure Arrays

A discrete dipole approximation （DDA） aided design method is proposed to determine the parameters of nanostructure arrays. The relationship between the thickness, period and extinction efficiency of nanostructure arrays for the given shape can be calculated using the DDA. Based on the calculated curves, the main parameters of the nanostructure arrays such as thickness and period can be determined. Using this aided method, a rhombic sliver nanostructure array is designed with the determinant parameters of thickness （40 nm） and period （440 nm）. We further fabricate the rhombic sliver nanostructure arrays and testify the character of the extinction spectra. The obtained extinction spectra is within the visible range and the full width at half maximum is 99nm, as is expected.     

Observation of E×B Flow Velocity Profile Change Using Doppler Reflectometry in HL-2A

A broadband, O-mode sweeping Doppler reflectometry designed for measuring plasma E×B flow velocity profiles is operated in HL-2A. The main feature of the Doppler reflectometry is its capability to be tuned to any selected frequency in total waveband from 26-40 GHz. This property enables us to probe several plasma layers within a short time interval during a discharge, permitting the characterization of the radial distribution of plasma fluctuations. The system allows us to extract important information about the velocity change layer, namely its spatial localization. In purely Ohmic discharge a change of the E×B flow velocity profiles has been observed in the region for 28 〈 r 〈 30cm if only the line average density exceeds 2.2×10^19 m^-3. The density gradient change is measured in the same region, too.     

An adaptive line-by-line—statistical model for fast and accurate spectral simulations in low-pressure plasmas

An adaptive grid method is proposed for the simulation of low-pressure plasma radiation. The method relies on two complementary approaches which significantly reduce calculation times and the size of the obtained grids: Weak lines are calculated as a so-called “pseudo-continuum”, hence reducing the number of calculated lines, and a numerical algorithm has been developed for accurately calculating Voigt lineshapes using a minimum number of points. The method is fully user-parametric, allowing the choice of privileging calculation efficiency, or alternatively privileging the accuracy of the computed spectra. Sample radiative transfer calculations are presented, which show the efficiency of the method, also providing some guidelines on how to define lineshape calculation parameters, depending on the problem to be solved.     

Influence of radial electric field on trajectories of plug potential bounce ion in the tandem mirror

Bouncing ions between the plug potentials play an important role in improvement of the axial confinement in the tandem mirror. We examined the influence of the radial electric field on the trajectories of the ions passed through the anchor cell with nonaxisymmetric magnetic configuration on the assumption that the shape of the magnetic flux tube was shifted from the shape of the equipotential surface of the plasma at the mirror throats of the anchor cells. The discrepancy between the shapes enhanced the radial drift of the bounce ion. Radial potential profile of the core plasma was controlled by adjustment of the radially separated endplate potentials, and it was found that the flattened radial potential profile was effective for the decrease of the radial drift. Presented at 5th Workshop “Role of Electric Fields in Plasma Confinement and Exhaust”, Montreux, Switzerland, June 23–24, 2002.     

Study of charge distribution in a dust beam using a Faraday cup

After getting charged in plasma, dust grains in a dust beam are scanned by a Faraday cup and electrometer. At different operating conditions, including a dc field, and analysis of the dust current profile, dust charge distribution is studied and information on the nature of the nonuniform distribution obtained.     

Effect of Discharge Voltage on an Ion Sheath Formed at a Grid in a Multi-Dipole Discharge Plasma

It is experimentally demonstrated that a relatively strong ion-rich sheath formed at a fixed negative bias of the grid can be changed to a rather weak ion sheath （sheath potential weakly retards electrons） only by increasing the discharge voltage in the system. At sufficiently high negative grid bias, an increase of discharge voltage enhances the ion collection current at the grid. An explanation is put forward in support of this experimental observation. A slight density enhancement with a fall in plasma electron temperature is also observed with the increasing negative grid bias.     

The role of Ar III in quantitative spectroscopy on hot argon plasmas

We perform quantitative optical emission spectroscopy on the hot core of the cathode region of a free-burning arc in argon under atmospheric pressure. As the peak temperatures in the centre of the discharge exceed 22 000 K we are able to observe three spectra of argon (Ar I, Ar II and Ar III) and the continuum emission. We report on some inconsistencies concerning the evaluation of Ar III radiation in both line and continuum emission. These are caused by erroneous data in the literature and common misconceptions about the influence of Ar III on the plasma emission. We discuss the impact of this fact on published data.