Initiation and Sustainment of Unipolar Arc Discharges by a Microsecond Pulse Plasma

Unipolar arcs have been produced by contacting metal surfaces with microsecond pulse plasmas. Plasma temperature T_e, density n_e and potential (with respect to ground) were controlled in the limits 7–12 eV, 10¹⁸–10¹⁹ m^?3, 20–40 V, respectively, and the influence of these parameters on arc current amplitude (50–500 A) and ignition probability has been investigated. It was found that the ignition is the most limiting process requiring surface contaminations as well as the transport of net currents to the surface. The amplitude of the current was proportional to n_eT_e^1/2.     

Electron temperature (T e) measurements by Thomson scattering system

Thomson scattering technique based on high power laser has already proved its superoirity in measuring the electron temperature (T _e and density (n _e) in fusion plasma devices like tokamaks. The method is a direct and unambiguous one, widely used for the localised and simultaneous measurements of the above parameters. In Thomson scattering experiment, the light scattered by the plasma electrons is used for the measurements. The plasma electron temperature is measured from the Doppler shifted scattered spectrum and density from the total scattered intensity. A single point Thomson scattering system involving a Q-switched ruby laser and PMTs as the detector is deployed in ADITYA tokamak to give the plasma electron parameters. The system is capable of providing the parameters T _e from 30 eV to 1 keV and n _e from 5 × 10¹²cm⁻³−5 × 10¹³cm⁻³. The system is also able to give the parameter profile from the plasma center (Z=0 cm) to a vertical position of Z=+22 cm to Z=−14 cm, with a spatial resolution of 1 cm on shot to shot basis. This paper discusses the initial measurements of the plasma temperature from ADITYA.     

Diagnostics of Tin Plasma Produced by Visible and IR Nanosecond Laser Ablation

We present the optical emission spectroscopic studies of the Tin (Sn) plasma, produced by the fundamental (1064 nm) and second (532 nm) harmonics of a Q switched Nd: YAG pulsed laser having pulse duration of 5 ns and 10 Hz repetition rate which is capable of delivering 400 mJ at 1064 nm, and 200 mJ at 532 nm using Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). The laser beam was focused on target material by placing it in air at atmospheric pressure. The experimentally observed line profiles of four neutral tin (Sn I) lines at 231.72, 248.34, 257.15 and 266.12 nm were used to extract the electron temperature (T_e) using the Boltzmann plot method and determined its value 6360 and 5970 K respectively for fundamental and second harmonics of the laser. Whereas, the electron number density (N_e) has been determined from the Stark broadening profile of neutral tin (Sn I) line at 286.33 nm and determined its value 5.85 x 10¹⁶ and 6.80 x 10¹⁶cm^–3 for fundamental and second harmonics of the laser respectively. Both plasma parameters (T_e and N_e) have also been calculated by varying distance from the target surface along the line of propagation of plasma plume and also by varying the laser irradiance. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

X-ray spectroscopic diagnostics of ultrashort laser-cluster interaction at the stage of the nonadiabatic scattering of clusters

X-ray spectroscopic diagnostics of laser-cluster interaction at the stage of nonadiabatic scattering of clusters and formation of a spatially uniform plasma channel has been performed. The experimental investigations have been carried out on a Ti:Sa laser setup with a pulse duration of about 65 fs and an energy up to 600 mJ. It has been shown that, within 10 ps from the beginning of a laser femtosecond pulse, the laser-cluster interaction forms a uniform plasma channel with a length of 0.4 to 1 mm with the parameters N _e ～ 10¹⁹?10²⁰ cm^?3 and T _e ～ 100 eV.     

Plasma dynamics from laser ablated solid lithium

Emission plasma plume generated by pulsed laser ablation of a lithium solid target by a ruby laser (694 nm, 20 ns, 3 J) was subjected to optical emission spectroscopy: time and space resolved optical emission was characterised as a function of distance from the target surface. Propagation of the plume was studied through ambient background of argon gas. Spectroscopic observations can, in general, be used to analyse plume structure with respect to an appropriate theoretical plasma model. The plume expansion dynamics in this case could be explained through a shock wave propagation model wherein, the experimental observations made were seen to fit well with the theoretical predictions. Spectral information derived from measurement of peak intensity and line width determined the parameters, electron temperature (T _e) and electron number density (n _e), typically used to characterise laser produced plasma plume emission. These measurements were also used to validate the assumptions underlying the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) model, invoked for the high density laser plasma under study. Some interesting results pertaining to the analysis of plume structure and spatio-temporal behaviour of T _e and n _e along the plume length will be presented and discussed.     

Acoustic perturbations in a pulsedRF-plasma

The response of a stationary weakly ionized plasma to a density perturbation in the neutral gas component was studied in a neon plasma with the following typical properties: electron density ¯N _e≈8×10¹² cm^?3, electron temperature on the axis of the vesselT _e0≈3.0 eV; neutral gas densityN _n≈1×10¹⁷cm^?3 and neutral gas temperatureT _n0≈600 °K. A neutral density perturbation, generated 50 cm apart from the plasma, produces a fluctuation in the ion density and a sharp spike in the differential voltage of a floating double probe. The experimental observations demonstrate the propagation of an ion sheath and of an electric field perturbation together with the neutral density perturbation. An interpretation of the plasma response to acoustic wave pulses has been proposed by Ingard and Schulz in a theory on acoustic wave modes in a weakly ionized gas. The experimental results are in good agreement with the theoretical expectations.     

Deep levels in gallium arsenide by capacitance methods

The three capacitance methods, i.e., TSCAP, PHCAP, and transient capacitance measurements, are applied to determine electronic properties of deep levels inn-GaAs. In the boat-grown wafer detected are the 0.30 eV electron trap withN _T =3.6×10¹⁶ cm^?3 andS _n =2.4×10^?15 cm², and the 0.75 eV electron trap withN _T =2.0×10¹⁶ cm^?3 andS _n =1.2×10^?14 cm². In the epitaxial wafer, the 0.45 eV hole trap is detected withN _T >1.5×10¹³ cm^?3 andS _p =1.4×10^?14 cm² as well as the 0.75 eV electron trap withN _T =2.4×10¹³ cm^?3.     

Energy scaling of quasi-monoenergetic electron beams from laser wakefields driven by 40-TW ultra-short pulses

By focusing 40-TW, 30-fs laser pulses to the peak intensity of 10¹⁹ W/cm² onto a supersonic He gas jet, we generate quasi-monoenergetic electron beams for plasma density in the specific range 1.5×10¹⁹ cm^-3≤n_e≤3.5×10¹⁹ cm^-3. We show that the energy, charge, divergence and pointing stability of the beam can be controlled by changing n_e, and that higher electron energies and more stable beams are produced for lower densities. The observed variations are explained physically by the interplay among pump depletion and dephasing between accelerated electrons and plasma wave. Two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations support the explanation by showing the evolution of the laser pulse in plasma and the specifics of electron injection and acceleration. An optimized quasi-monoenergetic beam of over 300 MeV and 10 mrad angular divergence is demonstrated at a plasma density of n_e≃1.5×10¹⁹ cm^-3. PACS 52.35.-g; 52.38.Hb; 52.38.Kd; 52.65.-y     

Untersuchungen zum Existenzbereich einer BOLTZMANN-Verteilung im Argonbogenplasma

Using as plasma source a wall stabilized argon arc working within a restricted parameter range (inner tube diameter = 7 mm, pressure = 30–120 Torr, current = 5-20 A)) the existence of a Boltzmann equilibrium between spectral energy levels is checked by comparing measured occupation number densities of higher excited levels (N_{m, exp}) with the corresponding number densities calculated under the assumption of Boltzmann equilibrium (N_{m, calc}). The methods for determination of the quantities N_{m, exp'} T_g (2300–5405°K), T_e (7170–9950°K) and N_e (0.33 – 2.4 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3) needed for this comparison are described. It can be shown within the limit of experimental error that a Boltzmann equilibrium exists at least for electron densities of N_e > 3 · 10¹⁴ cm^?3. The problem of energy balance of that type of arcs used in these experiments is discussed.     

Measurement of Ar(I) and Ar(II) transition probabilities in LTE ARC plasmas

The transition probabilities of two Ar(I) lines and one Ar(II) line have been measured in emission on wall-stabilized argon arc plasmas (0·5×10⁵?p, Nm^-2?3×10⁵; 10,000?T, K?20,000; 10²²?N_e, m^-3?5×10²³) using the “method of best fit (MBF)”. The results (without line-wing correction) are for Ar(I) at 714·7 nm, A_nm=5·66×10⁵ s^-1±5%; for Ar(I) at 430·0 nm, A_nm=3·40×10⁵ s^-1±5%; for Ar(II) at 480·6 nm, A_nm=8·82×10⁷ s^-1±7%. These values were not influenced by deviations from LTE, which have been observed at electron number densities n_e?10²³ m^-3. The small uncertainties were achieved after careful corrections of different sources of error.     

Electron cooling in three‐dimensional Dirac fermion systems at low temperature: Effect of screening

Hot electron cooling rate P, due to acoustic phonons, is investigated in three‐dimensional Dirac fermion systems at low temperature taking account of the screening of electron–acoustic phonon interaction. P is studied as a function of electron temperature T_e and electron concentration n_e. Screening is found to suppress P very significantly for about T_e < 0.5 K and its effect reduces considerably for about T_e > 1 K in Cd₃As₂. In Bloch–Grüneisen (BG) regime, for screened (unscreened) case the T_e dependence is P ～ T_e⁹(T_e⁵) and the n_e dependence gives P ～ n_e^–5/3 (n_e^–1/3). The T_e dependence is characteristic of 3D phonons and n_e dependence is characteristics of 3D Dirac fermions. The plot of P /T_e⁴ vs. T_e shows a maximum at temperature T_em which shifts to higher values for larger n_e. Interestingly, the maximum is nearly same for different n_e and T_em/n_e^1/3 being nearly constant. More importantly, we propose, the n_e dependent measurements of P would provide a clearer signature to identify 3D Dirac semimetal phase. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

CO2-laser gas discharges in narrow gaps

We have studied RF discharges as excitation mechanisms for distributed feedback (DFB) CO₂ lasers. For CO₂ laser plasmas the reduced electric fieldE/N has to be in a well-defined range. The reduced electric fieldsE/N of gas discharges in the narrow gaps with widths of the order of 100 m required for DFB are considerably above this range. In order to study the feasibility of these RF-excited discharges for DFB CO₂ lasers we have measured the electron temperatureT _e in their plasmas. From helium-line-intensity ratios we have deduced a lower limit of the electron temperatureT _e of 4eV. The observed high intensities of bands of singly ionized nitrogen indicate an even higher electron temperature, but an efficient pumping of the upper laser level is not possible with an electron temperature above 2.5 eV.We have estimated the electron densityn _e and the current densityj _e from ratios of the intesities of forbidden and allowed helium lines. The high current densityj _e is in the range of abnormal glow discharges.In the gas discharges between narrow gaps the electron oscillation amplitudex _e is large than the electrode separationd. In order to replace the resulting high electron losses a high electron temperatureT _e is necessary to sustain the gas discharge. Because of this high electron temperatureT _e an efficient pumping of the upper laser level is not possible.     

Determination of the Concentration of Electrons in the Laser Plasma of Helium

The dependence of the Stark width of the spectral line of He II P 468.6 nm on the electron concentration in the laser plasma of helium for the range of electron densities N _e = (1–10)·10²³ m^–3 and electron temperatures of the order of 60 kK has been measured. The results obtained correspond well to Griem's theoretical data. An empirical relation is suggested which makes it possible to reliably determine the electron concentration from measured halfwidths in the investigated range of N _e.     

Generation and characterization of a bright X-ray source using picosecond laser

High-resolution soft X-ray spectra of H-like and He-like ions were produced from laser irradiated silicon and aluminum targets. Plasma size was about 100 μm. X-ray spectra were analyzed to determine plasma parameters. We compared the line shape of resonance transitions and their intensity ratios to corresponding dielectronic satellites and the intensities of the inter combination lines of He-like ions, with the results of model calculations. Such comparison gave average values of the electron density N _e=(1?1.9)×10²¹ cm^?3 and the electron temperature T _e=460–560 eV for Si plasmas and about 560 eV for Al plasmas produced by the first and the second laser harmonics. According to our estimations, more than 10¹² photons were produced within the resonance line spectral width and in the solid angle 2π steredian during the total decay period.     

Atomic Model Calculations of Gain Saturation in the 46.9 nm Line of Ne‐like Ar

The gain saturation in the 46.9 nm line of the Ar⁺⁸ laser is analyzed using an atomic kinetics code. The dependence of the gain (G) on the electron kinetic temperature (T_e) in the region (50 ‐150 eV) is calculated in the quasi steady‐state approximation for the different values of the electron density (N_e) and the plasma radius (r_pl). The influence of radiat on trapping, ion random and mean velocities, Stark line broadening and refraction losses on the gain saturation is taken into consideration. For r_pl = 150‐600 μm, the amplplication (G > 0 cm^‐1) exists in the large temperature/density domain (T_e = 60‐150 eV, N_e = 0.5‐10 × 10¹⁸ cm^‐3). However, the value G_s ∼ 1.4 cm^‐1 required for the gain saturation at the typical plasma length L_pl ∼ 15 cm is reached in the extremely narrow density regions at the high temperatures. The saturation is reached for r_pl = 600 μm at T^s_e = 150 eV in the region N^s_e = 1.8‐2 × 10¹⁸ cm ^‐3, for r_pl = 300 μm at T^s_e = 125 eV and N^s_e = 2.5‐3 × 10¹⁸ cm^‐3, and for r_pl = 150 μm at T^s_e = 110 eV and N^s_e = 3‐4 × 10¹⁸ cm^‐3. The broadest density region (N^s_e = 2 ‐8 × 10¹⁸ cm^‐3) is predicted for the narrowest column (r_pl = 150 μm) at the highest temperature (T^s_e = 150 eV). The operation in the broadest density region N^s_e, should make easier achievement of the gain saturation in the experiments.     

Die Erzeugung von Seriengrenzkontinua mit Hilfe von Gleitfunken zur Absolutmessung im Vakuum-Ultraviolett

A lithium plasma is produced by discharging a 40 kV, 0,3 μF capacitor through a lithium-hydride-capillary (diameter 2 mm, length 20 mm) in vacuum (p～10^?4 Torr). During the first half-cycle (0,6 μs) Bremsstrahlung of Li III is observed in the visible and infrared, and the Lyman series of Li III together with the recombination continuum in the vacuum UV (100 Å). The high members of the Lyman series are broadened by Stark effect giving an electron density of about 6 · 10¹⁸ cm^?3. In the infrared the radiation is emitted from an optically thick plasma at a time when the free-free continuum in the visible is emitted from an optically thin plasma. Temporal development of electron temperatureT _e and electron density N_e has been measured from the absolute intensity in these spectral regions. Typical values ofT _e=230 000° K andN _e 5 · 10¹⁸ cm^?3 e.g. have been obtained. For these values the relaxation time for an ionisation equilibrium is short compared to the observation time. The complete ionisation of Li III has been checked by absorption measurements near 100 A. Thus the absolute intensity of the recombination continuum could be calculated. An experimental arrangement was built to measure simultaneously the time history of the intensity in the vacuum ultraviolet, in the visible, and infrared spectral regions.     

Emission characteristics and parameters of tin and CuSbSe2 laser plumes

The emission characteristics and parameters of laser plumes of tin and CuSbSe₂ compound are studied at distances of 1 and 7 mm from the target. The recombination times of singly and doubly charged tin ions are, respectively, 116 and 27 ns at a distance of 1 mm from the target and 148 and 64 ns at a distance of 7 mm. In the case of the CuSbSe₂ compound, the recombination times of antimony and copper ions are determined to be, respectively, 60 and 75 ns at a distance of 1 mm and 707 and 976 ns at a distance of 7 mm. The time-averaged temperatures and concentrations of electrons of the tin laser plasma are determined at a distance of 7 mm from the target (T _e = 0.42 eV and n _e = 2.9 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3), and the same parameters for the laser plasma based on the CuSbSe₂ compound are determined at distances of 1 and 7 mm from the target (T _e = 0.62 eV, n _e = 1.4 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3 and T _e = 0.86 eV, n _e = 8.4 × 10¹⁵ cm^?3).     

Electrical transport in ferroelectric Pb[(Fe1/3Sb2/3) x Ti y Zr z ]O3 ceramics

In this article, the studies of the polarization currents and current–voltage characteristics (J–V) are presented. The measurements of the J–V in low and high temperatures as well as at low and high voltages have permitted to recognize certain details of local energy levels in forbidden gap. It has been possible to calculate energy trap levels and their concentration. Calculated trap energy and concentration, under the condition of single trap energy levels, are equal: E _t = 0.55 eV, N _t = 2.97 · 10²³ m^?3 for the sample y = 0.44 and E _t = 0.59 eV, N _t = 1.5 · 10²³ m^?3 for the sample y = 0.47. Knowing the J–V characteristic and the Seebeck coefficient the carriers concentration and their mobility can also be calculated. The carriers concentration and their mobility are equal: n = 3.8 · 10¹⁸ m^?3, µ = 1.4 · 10^?12 m² V^?1 · s^?1 for sample y = 0.44 and n = 6.9 · 10¹⁶ m^?3, µ = 1.3·10^?11 m² V^?1 · s^?1 for the sample y = 0.47.     

Modulated electron spectrum of the light scattered by a magnetized arc plasma

Measuring the spectrum of laser light scattered by a magnetized arc plasma (n _e =1.2 × 10¹⁶ cm^?3,T _e =3.2 eV, α=0.6,B _z =120 kG) we observe deviations from the normal thermal spectrum. The observed modulation is most probably due to the influence of the magnetic field. Two other less likely possibilities (enhanced electron oscillations or the existence of an additional colder electron component) are discussed.     

Anomalous Cs I 5d-5⨍ lineshape in a non-debye plasma

Laser-induced cesium plasmas were diagnosed by emission spectroscopy, yielding electron densities in the range N_e = 10¹⁶?5 × 10¹⁷ cm^-3 and electron temperatures in the range T_e = 0.2-1 eV. The experimental lineshapes for T_e = 0.5 eV were found to be in good agreement with theory. For the more strongly coupled plasmas at N_e = 1-2 × 10¹⁶ cm^-3 and T_e = 0.2 eV, however, the Cs I 5d-5? lineshape was more asymmetric than predicted.