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.     

Effect of atmospheric pressure pulsed discharge spatial inhomogeneity on Ar I and H I lines: Electron number density study

The spatial inhomogeneity of pulsed atmospheric pressure discharge in argon is investigated using the electron number density N_e diagnostics procedure applied to asymmetrically broadened Ar I lines. A dedicated fitting procedure is used for describing Ar I 703.0 nm line shape recorded from argon gas discharge and H I (at 486.13 and 656.28 nm) lines recorded from Ar-H₂ gas mixture discharge. The results revealed the change in N_e in both axial and radial directions. The additional Ar I lines at 614.5, 710.7, 731.2, and 731.6 nm, recorded from integral spatial radiation, are analysed as well to confirm the results from the plasma column region. The possibility of using AlO (B²∑⁺–X²∑⁺) and CN (B²∑⁺–X²∑⁺) molecular bands for gas temperature T_g measurements in this type of gas discharge source is demonstrated and T_g used as an input parameter for the N_e diagnostics procedure. For the proper identification of molecular band spectral lines, the Fortrat parabolas are constructed. The results obtained from Ar I 703.0 nm line indicate three different N_e values, with N_e1 ≈ 0.6 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, N_e2 ≈ 3.6 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, and N_e3 ≈ 19 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³ measured from the plasma column. These N_e values increase in the cathode and anode region.     

Calculation of the pressure shift of the positronium hyperfine interval

We calculate the fractional positronium hyperfine pressure shift Δ(T) using a quantum mechanical thermal averaging and obtain for Δ(293 K)(±30%) in He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, N₂ and SF₆ respectively; (-0.15, -0.34, -0.96, -1.41, -1.85, -1.12, -1.1) × 10^-7/torr (0°C).     

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.     

Pressure-broadened iodine-laser-amplifier kinetics and a comparison of diluent effectiveness

An iodine laser kinetic model is used to investigate inversion parameters in highly pressure-broadened amplifier systems using i-C₃F₇I as the parent compound and CO₂, N₂, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe as the diluent gas. These data are used to calculate a diluent merit function for diluent pressures P_d = 1–100 atm. The most effective choices for buffer gases are as follows: P_d ? 1 atm, CO₂; 1 atm ? P_d ? 10 atm, Ar; and P_d ? 10 atm, Ne.     

The excitation temperature functions of some spectrum lines of He,Ne, Ar,Kr and Xe

The excitation temperature functions of 19 spectrum lines of 5 rare gases He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe have been calculated according to the method given by Fowler and Milne. The results make it possible to determine the radial plasma temperature distribution in the range of temperatures of 1.4 × 10⁴°K to 14 × 10⁴°K. Some examples are given for the determination of the plasma temperature distribution in space and time by using the Ar ecxitation temperature functions calculated.     

Stark broadening of some C(I) and N(I) vacuum ultraviolet lines

Stark widths of 11 C(I) lines and 3 N(I) multiplets were measured in the wavelength range 1310 Å ⩽ λ ⩽ 2583 Å. Gas mixtures (Ar+CO₂, Ar+N₂ and Ar+CO₂+N₂) were used for production of plasmas in a wall-stabilized arc under atmospheric pressure. Results were provided by five experiments (T varies from 13,370 to 13,950 K and N_e from 1.13 x 10¹⁷ cm^-3 to 1.35 x 10¹⁷ cm^-3. Stark shifts were measured for 2 C(I) lines and the ion-broadening parameter A was evaluated for 7 C(I) lines using different methods. The Stark widths and shifts are generally in reasonable agreement with other experimental or theoretical values, while the estimated A values are much higher than those predicted by Griem's theory.     

Influence of Ar, Ne, Xe, and CCl4 impurities on luminescence kinetics of Cd II ions (5s22D5/2-5p2P3/2 transition, λ = 441.6 nm) in He-Cd mixture

The luminescence kinetics of the Cd II ion at a wavelength of 441.6 nm has been studied experi-mentally in a high-pressure He-Cd mixture in the presence of Ar, Ne, Xe, and CCl₄ impurities. Cadmium ions were excited through the bombardment of a cadmium foil heated up to 240°C by a pulsed electron beam with an electron energy of 150 keV, a pulse duration of 3 ns, and a current of 500 A. The constants of collisional quenching of the Cd II 5s ^{2 2} D _5/2 level by Ar, Ne, and Xe atoms and CCl₄ molecules and the integral luminescence quenching constants of this level in the helium medium by these impurity gases have been determined. The constants of collisional quenching appeared to be 8.1 × 10⁻¹² (Ar), 1.2 × 10⁻¹² (Xe), 1.5 × 10⁻¹³ (Ne), and 1.8 × 10⁻¹⁰ cm³/s (CCl₄, for λ = 325 nm), while the integral constants were found to be, respectively, 4.1 × 10⁻¹¹, 3.4 × 10⁻¹¹, 9.5 × 10⁻¹², 1.4 × 10⁻⁹ cm³/s for Ar, Ne, Xe, and CCl₄ at a buffer gas pressure of 1 atm. Original Russian Text ? A.I. Miskevich, Liu Tao, 2009, published in Optika i Spektroskopiya, 2009, Vol. 107, No. 1, pp. 45–49.     

Resonance Raman and fluorescence spectra of chlorine dioxide in argon,krypton, xenon,and nitrogen matrices at 16 K

Laser excitation studies of matrix-isolated ClO₂ at 16 K using the 4579, 4765, 4880, and 5145 Å argon ion lines and argon, krypton, xenon, and nitrogen matrices were conducted. Quenching of fluorescence by the matrix was evidenced by the observation of displaced bands in the Ar, Kr, and N₂ work and increased background in the Xe studies. An intense progression in ν₁ of ClO₂ with regularly decreasing intensities out to 6ν₁ observed in solid Ar with 4579 Å excitation was attributed to the resonance Raman effect. Shorter resonance Raman progressions were observed in Xe and N₂ matrices.     

Stark broadening of lines from multiply-charged carbon ions in a high-density arc plasma

Profiles of C(III) and C(IV) lines emitted in the VUV and visible regions from a pulsed arc (N_e=1.5×10¹⁸ cm^-3, T_e=5.3×10⁴K) have been measured with time resolution. The experimental results are in satisfactory agreement with the predictions of electron impact theory for (3-3) and (3-4) transitions for which the energy separation between the upper level and the nearest perturbing level is smaller than the electron thermal energy. For lines from (2-2) transitions for which the plasma is optically thick, damping constants determined experimentally agree with theoretical values within a factor of two.     

Spectroscopic study of plasma during electrolytic oxidation of magnesium- and aluminium-alloy

We present the results of an optical emission spectroscopy study of Plasma during Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) of magnesium- and aluminum-alloy. Plasma electron number density N_e diagnostics is performed either from the H_β line shape or from the width or shift of non-hydrogenic ion lines of aluminum and magnesium. The line profile analysis of the H_β suggests presence of two PEO processes characterized by relatively low electron number densities N_e≈1.2×10¹⁵ cm^?3 and N_e≈2.3×10¹⁶  cm^?3. Apart from these two low N_e processes, there is the third one related to the ejection of evaporated anode material through micro-discharge channels. This process is characterized by larger electron density N_e=(1.2–1.6)10¹⁷ cm^?3, which is detected from the shape and shift of aluminum and magnesium singly charged ion lines. Two low N_e values detected from the H_β and large N_e measured from the widths and shift of ion lines suggest presence of three types of discharges during PEO with aluminum- and magnesium-alloy anode. On the basis of present and earlier results one can conclude that low N_e processes do not depend upon anode material or electrolyte composition.The electron temperature of 4000 K and 33,000 K are determined from relative intensities of Mg I and O II lines, respectively. The attention is drawn to the possibility of N_e application for T_e evaluation using Saha equation what is of importance for PEO metal plasma characterization. During the course of this study, difficulties in the analysis of spectral line shapes are encountered and the ways to overcome some of the obstacles are demonstrated.     

Shift and oscillator strength of Xe(I) lines emitted from an alectric pulse discharge

An electric pulse discharge has been used to generate Xe plasmas with equilibrium temperatures of the order of 10⁴ K and electron densities between 10¹⁷ and 10¹⁸ cm^-3. Spectroscopic measurements were made in the range between 455 and 475 nm. The shift of the observed lines was found to vary linearly with electron density even at the highest N_e values reached. Oscillator strengths were estimated for the lines at 462.4, 467.1 and 473.4 nm on the basis of a computer reconstruction of the appropriate spectral region.     

Stark broadening and shift measurements of two doubly excited NI multiplets

Experimental Stark-broadening studies of two selected doubly excited NI multiplets from the infrared wavelength range are presented. One of them is very sensitive to interactions with charged particles in plasmas and the other exhibits — at the same plasma conditions — only very small broadening and shift. A high current wall-stabilized arc operated in helium with admixture of nitrogen and hydrogen was applied as the excitation source. The radiation of the plasma was detected by applying a grating spectrometer equipped with a CCD detector. Measurements were performed at electron densities of the plasma between 3×10¹⁵ and 7×10¹⁵ cm^-3, corresponding to temperatures from the range 8000–10500 K. Electron impact widths (w_e) and shifts (d_e) of fine structure components of these multiplets were determined. The evaluated Stark broadening parameters (w_e, d_e) are compared with other experimental data and with calculated Stark effect constants.     

High-pressure gas lasers on Ar I,Xe I,and Kr I transitions

Lasing has been obtained in a high pressure (up to 17 atm) gas on Ar I, Xe I, and Kr I transitions. The gas was excited by a transverse discharge with volume preionization by a discharge through a dielectric. New laser lines belonging to Ar I (9123, 9658, 10470, and 11488 Å), Xe I (8232 Å), and Kr I (8929 Å) have been found. The dependences of the spectral and energetic characteristics of the He-Ar laser on the conditions of gas pressure and discharge have been investigated in detail. At high pressures, wide (about 50 HGz) laser lines have been found as well as high power (>10⁵ W) laser lines. Time characteristics of the radiation have been investigated and optimal conditions for the generation power have been defined.     

Excess Gibbs energy for six binary solid solutions of molecularly simple substances

In this paper we apply the method developed in a previous study of Ar + CH₄ to the evaluation of the excess Gibbs energy G^{E S} for solid solutions of two molecularly simple components The method depends on combining information on the excess Gibbs energy G^{E L} for the liquid mixture of the two components with a knowledge of the (T, x) solid-liquid phase diagram Certain thermal properties of the pure substances are also needed G^{E S} has been calculated for binary mixtures of Ar + Kr, Kr + CH₄, CO + N₂, Kr + Xe, Ar + N₂ and Ar + CO. In general, but not always, the solid mixtures are more non-ideal than the liquid mixtures of the same composition at the same temperature Except for the Kr + CH₄ system, the ratio $\text{r =}\text{G}{}^{\mathrm{E\; S}}\text{G}{}^{\mathrm{E\; L}}$ is larger the richer the solution in the component with the smaller molecules     

Spectroscopic studies of a plasma temperature and radiation standard based on a wall-stabilized arc

The absolute determination of the axial temperature (12,000 K ≤ T ≤ 14,500 K, 0.9×10²³ m^-3 ≤ N_e ≤2.5×10^-3 m^-3 of a 3 mm bore wall-stabilized arc operating in argon at 1.75×10⁵ Pa is described using spectroscopic techniques both in the visible and vacuum u.v. spectral regions. Computer simulation techniques to predict the line wing correction for the A(I) line at 430 nm and a detailed study of sources of systematic error have been applied. The reproducibility of the temperature results and the establishment of LTE demonstrates the suitability of the source as a plasma temperature and radiation standard. A detailed study of the Stark broadening of H_β and the comparison of the experimental profiles with the theories of Kepple and Griem and Vidal, Cooper and Smith has shown the former giving N_e values some 11% lower and the latter 1% higher than the pure argon diagnostics at N_e ? 2 × 10²³ m^-3. New values for the argon transition probabilities of two lines and continuum factors at two wavelengths are presented.     

“Artificial vacuum” for T-violation experiment

We point out the possible use of matrix isolation spectroscopy in experimental tests of fundamental physics. As a concrete example we show how this technique might be applied to measuring the T-violation electron electric dipole moment d_e. We estimate that a dipole moment could be detected down to d_e ∼ 6 × 10⁻²⁸e cm, in comparison to the current limit of d_e < 10⁻²⁴e cm.     

Stark broadening and displacement of isolated He I lines

Experimental results for Stark broadened He I lines emitted by a helium plasma jet (N_e≈3×10¹⁶ cm^-3) are compared with theory; agreement is well enough for widths whereas shifts calculations present generally large discrepancies with experimental data.     

An experimental investigation of partial LTE for lower excited levels of Ar(I) in a wall-confined,argon arc plasma

This paper contains experimental results on partial LTE in the lower excited levels of Ar(I). The experiments were performed in a well-confined argon arc source. The population densities were obtained from self-absorption measurements of the lines. Plasma parameters were determined spectroscopically; measurements included the electron density (from the H_β line width) and the electron temperature (from the Boltzmann plot for higher excited levels of Ar(I)). The results show that the levels 1s₅ to 1s₅ are in Saha-Boltzmann equilibrium for electron densities above 3 × 10¹⁶ cm^-3.