| Abstract: | The radial density distribution of metastable Ar(3P2) and resonant Ar(1P1) atoms is determined experimentally in two types of electrical discharges of cylindrical shape: the positive column plasma of a DC discharge and the plasma produced by an electromagnetic surface wave. The exitation and deexcitation rates for Ar(3P2) by electron collisions are determined as a function of radius from the measured radial population density profile using a population density balance equation. These rate coefficients are obtained for various electron density values on the axis. The published values for these coefficients in the positive column plasma assume that they are independent of the discharge current. In this work, it is shown that these coefficients actually decrease as the electron density increases. In a more general way, the results obtained indicate that the examination of the radial density distributions of exited atoms is a powerful method for determining the kinetics of their creation and destruction. |
