Velocity distribution of plasma electrons in the negative H2- and He-glow with superimposed longitudinal magnetic field

The negative glow plasma has been found nearly field free in axial direction. Therefore plasma electrons in the stationary glow can thermalize down to the temperature of the neutral gas, whenever their diffusion—and recombination—lifetime is high enough. Applying Boltzmann's equation to this problem, the conditions of thermalization of plasma electrons are derived as a function of the outer parameters of the plasma: vessel diameter 2R, neutral gas pressurep and longitudinal magnetic fieldB. — If plasma electrons have a too short diffusion—and recombination—lifetime to be in thermal equilibrium with the neutral gas, the electron energy increases. For this case the distribution function of plasma electrons is derived using Boltzmann's equation. Approximating the calculated energy distribution by a Maxwellian distribution function, the electron temperature in the glow is obtained as a function of the parameters:R, p, B. OurT _e -measurements carried out in the H₂- and He-glows of different tube diameters, neutral gas pressures and magnetic fields agree closely with the theoretical results. TheT _e -measurements have been performed with Langmuir probes and by the method of reversal of the radial ambipolar electric field in a longitudinal magnetic field.     

Measurements of the spatially resolved electron temperature and plasma potential in ferrite-core side type Ar/He inductively-coupled plasmas

Spatial distributions of the effective electron temperature (T_eff) and plasma potential were studied from the measurement of an electron energy probability function in a side type ferrite-core inductively coupled plasma with an argon–helium mixture. As the helium gas was diluted at the fixed total gas pressure of 5 mTorr in an argon discharge, the distribution of the plasma density and plasma potential changed from a concave to a flat profile, and finally became a convex profile, while all spatial profiles of T_eff were hollow shapes with helium dilution in the argon discharge. This evolution of the plasma potential with helium gas could be explained by the increased energy relaxation length (λ_ε), indicating the transition of electron kinetics from local to non-local kinetics.     

Electron distribution function and recombination coefficient in ultracold plasma in a magnetic field

The electron distribution function and diffusion coefficient in energy space have been calculated for the first time for a weakly coupled ultracold plasma in a magnetic field in the range of magnetic fields B = 100?50000 G for various temperatures. The dependence of these characteristics on the magnetic field is analyzed and the distribution function is shown to depend on the electron energy shift in a magnetic field. The position of the “bottleneck” of the distribution function has been found to be shifted toward negative energies with increasing magnetic field. The electron velocity autocorrelators as a function of the magnetic field have been calculated; their behavior suggests that the frequency of collisions between charged particles decreases significantly with increasing magnetic field. The collisional recombination coefficient α _B has been calculated in the diffusion approximation for a weakly coupled ultracold plasma in a magnetic field. An increase in magnetic field is shown to lead to a decrease in α _B and this decrease can be several orders of magnitude.     

Interactions between metastable Xe atoms in the afterglow plasma

By measurements of the electron energy distribution function in a Xe afterglow plasma, the rate constants of the binary ionizing collisions between metastable Xe atoms were determined. The value of β₂₂ = (7.3 ± 1) × 10^?10cm³s^?1 satisfactorily agrees with the value for a van der Waals capture.     

Analysis of the formation of ion beams in varying electric fields of a stationary plasma thruster

We propose a technique for analyzing the distribution function of the velocity components (radial V _r and azimuthal V _φ) of ions in a beam. This technique is used for studying the ion beam emerging from a stationary plasma thruster (SPT). It is shown that the beam contains ions with a radial velocity component in the range V _r /V _z = ? 1.2 to +0.74, as well as ions with the azimuthal velocity component in the range V _?/V _z = ±0.9. Numerical calculations lead to the conclusion that ions acquire the azimuthal velocity component in the field of the azimuthal wave of the plasma potential evolving in the SPT channel.     

Momentum dependency of the volume plasmon damping in metals

The wave vector dependency of the damping of volume plasma oscillation has been studied on the metals Al, Ga and Sn by measuring the half-width ΔE _1/2 of the volume plasma loss of 51 kev electrons as a function of their scattering angle ?. We observed an interesting structure in the continuously increasing half width ΔE _1/2(?) which indicates resonance like processes at certain values of the plasmon wave vector.     

Distribution regimes of intense laser beam in a self-consistent plasma channel

In the present work, we investigate the distributed regimes of an intense laser beam in a self-consistent plasma channel. As the intensity of the laser beam increases, the relativistic mass effect as well as the ponderomotive expulsion of electrons modifies the dielectric function of the medium due to which the medium exhibits nonlinearity. Based on Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin and paraxial ray theory, the steady-state solution of an intense, Gaussian electromagnetic beam is studied. A differential equation of the beamwidth parameter with the distance of propagation is derived, including the effects of relativistic self-focusing (SF) and ponderomotive self-channeling. The nature of propagation and radial dynamics of the beam in plasma depend on the power, width of the beam, and Ω _p, the ratio of plasma to wave frequency. For a given value of Ω _p (<1), the distribution regimes have been obtained in beampower–beamwidth plane, characterizing the regimes of propagation as steady divergence, oscillatory divergence, and SF. The related focusing parameters are optimized introducing plasma density ramp function, and spot size of the laser beam is analyzed for inhomogeneous plasma. This results in overcoming the diffraction and guiding the laser beam over long distance. Numerical computations are performed for typical parameters of relativistic laser–plasma interaction studies.     

Intensity distribution of a capillary-discharge 46.9 nm soft X-ray laser

We realize a Ne-like Ar 46.9 nm soft X-ray laser pumped by a capillary discharge. The study of the laserpulse-intensity distribution is important for applications of soft X-ray lasers. The intensity distribution demonstrates the gain distribution, plasma radius, and axial plasma density that contribute to the study of the laser-pulse formation. To measure the intensity in different positions of the X-ray laser spot, we moved transversally an X-ray diode (XRD) assembled with a slit. We obtain the onedimensional intensity distribution. We find a laser divergence (FWHM) of 4.0 mrad. According to the gain-guided model, we calculate the intensity distribution. The measured divergence of 4.0 mrad roughly corresponds to a plasma radius a approximately equal to 230–250 μm and on-axis electron density n _e ≈ 8.0?10¹⁸ ?9.0?10¹⁸ cm ^?3. The results of calculations indicate that the divergence of the intensity distribution increases when the plasma radius decreases and the on-axis electron density increases.     

Quantitative surface analysis using ion-induced secondary ion and photon emission

The secondary ion and photon yield from a stainless steel target bombarded with Ar⁺ ions has been studied. The yields have been measured in a variety of oxygen background pressures. From the distribution of photon intensities, an effective arc temperature, T, for the bombarded surface has been derived. An empirical relationship has then been used to obtain the free electron density N_e, of the ion bombardment induced surface “plasma”. The derived values of (T, N_e) are then used in the Andersen-Hinthorne model, to calculate the changes in the Cr/Fe ratio as a function of the oxygen background pressure. The Cr/Fe ratio under the cleanest conditions available agrees very well with an electron microprobe measurement of the same ratio, while the changes in the Cr/Fe ratio as a function of oxygen pressure are consistent with electron spectroscopy studies of the changes in the Cr/Fe ratios in oxidised stainless steel.     

Energy relaxation of an electron-hole plasma in semiconductors

We calculate the energy relaxation of an electron-hole plasma created by a short laser pulse in semiconductors like Si and GaAs in two cases: (i) when the carrier-carrier collision time is much shorter than the carrier-phonon one, so that a carrier temperature T_c exists. We give the variation of T_c with time; (ii) when there is no carrier temperature and the initial energy distribution is a peaked function of width Δ. We give the time evolution of the system when Δ is much larger and much smaller than the phonon energy.     

The velocity distribution and the density near a particle of an equilibrium one component plasma

The equation governing the conditional relative velocity distribution of an equilibrium one component plasma at distances smaller than the interparticle distance is derived from elementary principles of classical dynamics and probability, the latter defined from the temporal point of view. It becomes obvious that in accordance with todays accepted views the maxwellian velocity distribution satisfies the above equation. Using this result it is also shown that the conditional number density has the form n(r) = n₀exp(-e²/rk_BT).     

Influence of the size distribution of granules and of their attractive interaction on the percolation threshold in granulated alloys

Numerical simulation was applied to study the influence of the size distribution of granules and the interaction between them on the percolation threshold in granulated metal-insulator alloys. An alloy model was considered in which metal granules have two characteristic sizes, l and L (with L>l), and the size distribution of granules of greater size L having an average value of approximately L ₀ is described by a normal distribution with a standard deviation d, by a step function with a halfwidth d, or by a delta function. A model with attraction between granules and mechanisms of trapping of an additional granule by an already developed cluster with a characteristic trapping range R was also considered. The percolation threshold significantly grows with the ratio L ₀/l and with R for both two-and three-dimensional cases and tends to flattening at large L/l or R. The calculated results make it possible to explain the high percolation threshold observed for the majority of granulated alloys.     

Plasmons in semiconductors and insulators: A simple formula

Based on the dielectric function of an excitonic system, a simple model dielectric function is constructed. The high energy zero of this function yields the plasma frequency, and is given by: (hω_x)² = (hω_f)² + E_x² where ω_f is the free electron plasma frequency and E_x the lowest exciton energy. It is argued that this formula is valid for both, Frenkel and Wannier excitons, and comparison is made with experiments on a variety of crystals, ranging from InSb to Ar. In all cases, surprisingly good agreement is found.     

Characterization of chaotic maps using the permutation Bandt-Pompe probability distribution

By appealing to a long list of different nonlinear maps we review the characterization of time series arising from chaotic maps. The main tool for this characterization is the permutation Bandt-Pompe probability distribution function. We focus attention on both local and global characteristics of the components of this probability distribution function. We show that forbidden ordinal patterns (local quantifiers) exhibit an exponential growth for pattern-length range 3 ≤ D ≤ 8, in the case of finite time series data. Indeed, there is a minimum D _min-value such that forbidden patterns cannot appear for D < D _min. The system’s localization in an entropy-complexity plane (global quantifier) displays typical specific features associated with its dynamics’ nature. We conclude that a more “robust” distinction between deterministic and stochastic dynamics is achieved via the present time series’ treatment based on the global characteristics of the permutation Bandt-Pompe probability distribution function.     

Effect on the reduction of the barrier height in rear-emitter silicon heterojunction solar cells using Ar plasma-treated ITO film

In this study, we investigated the effect of plasma treatment on an indium tin oxide (ITO) film under an ambient Ar atmosphere. The sheet resistance of the plasma-treated ITO film at 250 W (37.6 Ω/sq) was higher than that of the as-deposited ITO film (34 Ω/sq). Plasma treatment was found to decrease the ITO grain size to 21.81 nm, in comparison with the as-deposited ITO (25.49 nm), which resulted in a decrease in the Hall mobility. The work function of the Ar-plasma-treated ITO (WF_ITO=4.17 eV) was lower than that of the as-deposited ITO film (WF_ITO = 5.13 eV). This lower work function was attributed to vacancies that formed in the indium and oxygen vacancies in the bonding structure. Rear-emitter silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells fabricated using the plasma-treated ITO film exhibited an open circuit voltage (V_OC) of 734 mV, compared to SHJ cells fabricated using the as-deposited ITO film, which showed a V_OC of 704 mV. The increase in V_OC could be explained by the decrease in the work function, which is related to the reduction in the barrier height between the ITO and a-Si:H (n) of the rear-emitter SHJ solar cells. Furthermore, the performance of the plasma-treated ITO film was verified, with the front surface field layers, using an AFORS-HET simulation. The current density (J_SC) and V_OC increased to 39.44 mA/cm² and 736.8 mV, respectively, while maintaining a WF_ITO of 3.8 eV. Meanwhile, the efficiency was 22.9% at V_OC = 721.5 mV and J_SC = 38.55 mA/cm² for WF_ITO = 4.4 eV. However, an overall enhancement of 23.75% in the cell efficiency was achieved owing to the low work function value of the ITO film. Ar plasma treatment can be used in transparent conducting oxide applications to improve cell efficiency by controlling the barrier height.     

Photon distribution function in blinking fluorescence of individual molecules

A photon distribution function w_N(T) for blinking fluorescence with bright on- and dark off-intervals is derived. The function w_N(T) is expressed via few Poissonian functions each of which relates to corresponding exponential process in quantum dynamics of a given individual molecule. The distribution of photons is calculated for short, middle and long time intervals as compared to off-intervals. The distributions are much broader than Poissonian distribution and have rather complicated shape. If time resolution of an experiment does not permit us to see off-interval and, therefore, fluorescence looks like CW emission, the distribution of photons gives a signal about existence of hidden off- intervals in such CW fluorescence.     

Distribution function and electron state density in nonequilibrium plasma created by dye laser

Ultracold nonequilibrium plasma created by a dye laser has been studied by the molecular dynamics method. Electrons and protons in this model of nonequilibrium plasma interacted according to the Coulomb law. In the case of electron-proton interaction and a distance between particles r < a ₀ (Bohr radius), the interaction energy is constant, e ²/a ₀ (e is the charge of electron). An initial proton kinetic energy is set randomly so that the average kinetic energy is 0.01–1 K. Initial full electron energy is also set randomly, but at the same time it is positive; i.e., all the electrons according to our task are located in the continuous spectrum. Average kinetic electron energy per one particle varies from 1 to 50 K. The motion equations in periodical boundary condition for this system have been solved by molecular dynamics method. We have calculated the distribution function in the region near the ionization threshold. The distribution function is being described using electron state density in the nearest neighbor approximation with activity correction.     

Modified variational calculation of the zero field mobility of polar semiconductors

This paper describes a method of calculating the low field mobility if there exists no universal relaxation time. Here, the drift term in the distribution function is eliminated from the equations connecting the first two terms of the Legendre expansion of the distribution function, and the momentum balance is applied to determine the parameter of a one-parametric trial function used for the isotropic part of the distribution function. The mobility is then calculated via the energy balance relation. Forn-type GaAs the zero field lattice mobilities ofμ _[000]=12,100 cm²/Vsec andμ _[000]=160 cm²/ Vsec at 300 °K are obtained in this way.     

Study of dust ion-acoustic wave propagation in the Lorentzian magnetized dusty plasma

Dust ion-acoustic waves propagation in the magnetized dusty plasma including ions, electrons and dust particulates are studied by using kinetic equation. For unbounded and collisionless plasma and in the presence of uniform external magnetic field B₀, electrons and ions with Lorentzian distribution function and dust particles with Maxwellian one are considered. Calculating dielectric tensor through the Vlasov equation solution, in the parallel propagation, dispersion relation is derived and suprathermal particle effects on the Landau damping is studied. It is shown that the Landau damping effect vanishes for parallel propagation.     

Comparison of the texture functions describing the grain alignment in NdFeB magnets

Two types of Gaussian distribution function (`θ type’ and `tan θ type') describing the degree of grain alignment in sintered NdFeB magnets have been compared in the distribution coefficient σ (or σ_g), the distribution probability P(θ) and the grain alignment dependence of coercivity. The results show that when the grain alignment is good (the ratio of remanence-to-saturation polarization J_r/J_s⩾0.90), σ(σ_g) and P(θ) for the two types of Gaussian functions have similar variation tendencies, the calculated values of normalized coercivity based on the starting field theory are basically the same and are consistent with experiments. When the grain alignment is not good (J_r/J_s⩾0.80), the variation tendencies of σ and P(θ) are different. In addition, according to `tan θ type’ Gaussian function, the theoretical values of the normalized coercivity based on the starting field theory are still consistent with the experiments, but according to `θ type’ Gaussian function, the theoretical values seriously deviate from the experiments. This means that the `tan θ type’ Gaussian function is a better texture function for describing the grain alignment.