The Dual Mode Microwave Afterglow Apparatus for Measuring the Electron Temperature Dependence of the Electron‐Ion Recombination

Three dual mode microwave apparatus (one using S ‐band and two using X ‐band) have been developed to determine ambipolar diffusion and electron‐ion recombination rates under conditions such that T_gas = 300K and T_e is varied from 300 K to 6300 K, in the afterglow period of the dc glow discharge. TheTM₀₁₀ cylindrical cavity (in S ‐band) and TM₀₁₁ open cylindrical cavity (X ‐band) are used to determine the electron density during the afterglow period and a non‐resonant waveguide mode is used to apply a constant microwave heating field to the electrons. To test the properties of the apparatus the neon afterglow plasma has been investigated. At T_e = 300 K a value of α (Ne⁺₂) = (1.7± 0.2) × 10^–7cm³/s is obtained which is in good agreement with values of other investigators. Also similar variations of α as T^–0.4_e (S ‐band) and as T^–0.42_e (X ‐band) obeyed over the range 300 ≤ Te ≤ 6300K are in good agreement with some other previous measurements. The simplicity of the X‐band microwave apparatus also allows the measurements of the gas temperature dependency and the study of electron attachment and may be used simultaneously with optical or mass spectrometry investigations. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Collision processes of Hydride species in Hydrogen plasmas: III. The Silane family

Cross sections are provided for most important collision processes of the Silicon‐Hydrides from the “Silanefamily”: SiH_y (y = 1 ? 4) molecules and their ions SiH⁺_y, with (plasma) electrons and protons. The processes include: electron impact ionization and dissociation of SiH_y, dissociative excitation, ionization and recombination of SiH⁺_y ions with electrons, and charge ‐ and atom ‐ exchange in proton collisions with SiH_y. All important channels of dissociative processes are considered. Information is also provided on the energetics (reactants/products energy loss / gain) of each individual reaction channel. Total and partial cross sections are presented in compact analytic forms. The critical assessment of data, derivation of new data and presentation of results follow closely the concepts of the recently published related databases for Carbon‐Hydrides, namely for the Methane family [1, 2], and for the Ethane‐ and the Propane families [3], respectively. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

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)     

Electron Temperature Measurement in a Premixed Flat Flame Using the Double Probe Method

The electron temperatures T_e were measured using a double probe in a premixed methane flame produced by a calibration burner according to Hartung et al. The experiment was performed at atmospheric pressure. In contrast to other authors, we have managed to find typical nonlinearities corresponding to the retarding electron current region and to calculate electron temperatures using a suitable fit on the basis of the measured characteristics. A Pt‐Rh thermocouple was used to measure temperatures T_h corresponding to “heavy” species. Our results indicate that the flame plasma can be considered to be weakly non‐isothermic — T_e = (2400–4000) K, T_h = (1400–1600) K. On the basis of measurement of the saturated ion current, the number density of the charged particles was estimated at (0.3–3.8) · 10¹⁷ m^‐3. The trends in T_e and T_h in dependence on the positions of the probes and thermocouple in the flame differ substantially; this fact has not yet been explained (© 2012 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Double‐probe measurement in recombining plasma using NAGDIS‐II

We have studied the validity of the double‐probe method in recombining plasmas. Electron temperature (T_e) measured with a double probe was quantitatively evaluated by taking into account the influences of plasma potential fluctuation, plasma resistivity, and electron density fluctuation on the current–voltage characteristics. Differential potential fluctuation and plasma resistivity between two electrodes have a minor effect on T_e especially when the inter‐distance is small (typically 1 mm). Scattering of measured T_e due to the density fluctuation was sufficiently suppressed by making the data acquisition time long (typically 4 s) and taking the average. There is a good agreement between T_e measured with the optimized double‐probe method and that with laser Thomson scattering diagnostics.     

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.     

Temperature dependence of the radiation-stimulated conductivity of CsI crystals upon picosecond excitation by electron beams

The temperature dependence of the pulse conductivity for CsI crystals upon excitation with an electron beam (0.2 MeV, 50 ps, 400 A/cm²) at a time resolution of 150 ps is investigated. Under experimental conditions, the time of bimolecular recombination of electrons and holes (V _k centers) is directly measured in the temperature range 100–300 K. This made it possible to calculate the temperature dependence of the effective recombination cross section S(T)=7.9×10^?8 T² cm². The temperature dependence of the conductivity σ(T) is interpreted within the model of the separation of genetically bound electron-hole pairs. The activation energy of this process is found to be E _G =0.07 eV.     

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.     

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.     

Equation of state and thermal expansivity of LiF and NaF

The high-pressure and high-temperature behaviors of LiF and NaF have been studied up to 37 GPa and 1000 K. No phase transformations have been observed for LiF up to the maximum pressure reached. The B1 to B2 transition of NaF at room temperature was observed at ～28 GPa, this transition pressure decreases with temperature. Unit-cell volumes of LiF and NaF B1 phase measured at various pressures and temperatures were fitted using a P–V–T Birch–Murnaghan equation of state. For LiF, the determined parameters are: α₀ = 1.05 (3)×10^?4 K^?1, dK/dT = ?0.025 (2) GPa/K, V ₀ = 65.7 (1) Å³, K ₀ = 73 (2) GPa, and K′ = 3.9 (2). For NaF, α₀ = 1.34 (4)×10^?4 K^?1, dK/dT = ?0.020 (1) GPa/K, V ₀ = 100.2 (2) Å³, K ₀ = 46 (1) GPa, and K′ = 4.5 (1).     

Negative Ions,Ozone, and Metastable Components in dc Oxygen Glow Discharge

In a dc glow discharge in oxygen, the concentrations of minor components of O₂(a¹Δ_g), O₂(b¹ Σ_g), O₃, O(¹D), as well as nagative ions and electrons have been measured. Balance equations have been derived which describe satisfactorily the stationary concentrations of these components as functions of gas pressure and discharge current. For the first time, the rate constants of important aeronomical reactions (a) O^? + O₂(a¹Δ_g) → O₃ + e, (b) O₂^? + O₂(a¹Δ_g) → 2O₂ + e and (c) e + O₃ → O₂^? +O have been measured as functions of gas temperature T and mean energies of ions E_i and electron E₆: K_a = (2.5 ± 0.5) · 10^?9 · (T/300)^{4 ± 0.4}· (E_i/0.04)^{?2.6 ± 0.4} cm³/s for T = 385?605 K and E_i = 0.10 ? 0.66 eV; K_b = (1.0 ± 0.3) · 10^?10 · (T/300)^{?2 ± 0.5} · (E_i/0.04)^{0.23 ± 0.05} cm³/s for T = 330?605 K and E_i = 0.09 + 1.5 eV; K_c for E_e = 0.8÷5 eV.     

Static and dynamic structure factors with account of the ion structure for high-temperature alkali and alkaline earth plasmas*

The electron-electron, electron-ion, ion-ion and charge-charge static structure factors are calculated for alkali (at T = 30 000 K, 60 000 K, n _e = 0.7 × 10²¹ ÷ 1.1 × 10²² cm^-3) and Be²⁺ (at T = 20 eV, n _e = 2.5 × 10²³ cm^-3) plasmas using the method described by Gregori et al. The dynamic structure factors for alkali plasmas are calculated at T = 30 000 K, n _e = 1.74 × 10²⁰, 1.11 × 10²² cm^-3 using the method of moments developed by Adamjan et al. In both methods the screened Hellmann-Gurskii-Krasko potential, obtained on the basis of Bogolyubov's method, has been used taking into account not only the quantum-mechanical effects but also the repulsion due to the Pauli exclusion principle. The repulsive part of the Hellmann-Gurskii-Krasko (HGK) potential reflects important features of the ion structure. Our results on the static structure factors for Be²⁺ plasma deviate from the data obtained by Gregori et al., while our dynamic structure factors are in a reasonable agreement with those of Adamyan et al.: at higher values of k and with increasing k the curves damp down while at lower values of k, and especially at higher electron coupling, we observe sharp peaks also reported in the mentioned work. For lower electron coupling the dynamic structure factors of Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺ and Cs⁺ do not differ while at higher electron coupling these curves split. As the number of shell electrons increases from Li⁺ to Cs⁺ the curves shift in the direction of low absolute value of ω and their heights diminish. We conclude that the short range forces, which we take into account by means of the HGK model potential, which deviates from the Coulomb and Deutsch ones, influence the static and dynamic structure factors significantly.     

Appearance of a Hα Minimumat the Onset of Net Recombination in Hydrogen Plasmas

Hydrogen plasmas out of ionization equilibrium are either ionizing or recombining depending on the electron temperature T_e . Within the transition region between these two opposite states a minimum of the H_α emission is often experimentally observed. Simple cases were previously analyzed which could be interpreted assuming only a temperature variation, i.e the electron density was constant in the transition region. Here we discuss two examples in which both the density and the temperature vary at the transition. In the linear plasma generator PSI‐II a hydrogen plasma is cooled down by puffing additional gas. We find a minimum at T_min ≈ 1.1 eV. A second example is the effect of an ELM(edge localized mode) pulse propagating through a recombining divertor plasma in the tokamak ASDEX Upgrade. The H_α response shows a double peak which can be interpreted as a local minimum assuming a simultaneous rise of density and temperature during an ELM. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Evaluation of the rate constants of dissociative and ternary recombination reactions of argon ions on the basis of the results of ballistic experiments

AbstractExperimental data on the change in the electron density in the wake of a ballistic object traveling at velocities V _∞=3.4–4.9 km/s in argon at pressures p _∞=30–100 Torr are processed and analyzed. A reaction scheme is proposed which takes into account the recombination of charged particles, processes of ionic conversion, and the excited states of the atom. The solution of the equations of a nonequilibrium boundary layer for flow in the wake is used to formulate the inverse problem of determining the rate constants for dissociative recombination Ar ₂ ⁺ +e→Ar+Ar and ternary recombination Ar⁺+e+Ar→Ar+Ar. The “nearest-neighbor” approximation is used to obtain theoretically an expression for the ternary recombination coefficient as a function of temperature and pressure. Numerous solutions of inverse problems and a comparison with experiments demonstrates the validity of the expression obtained for the ternary recombination coefficient. It is shown that this expression is valid for moderate pressures and complements the Pitaevskii result for low pressures and the Langevin result for high pressures. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 12–18 (May 1997)     

On the Symmetrical Modes in a Cylindrical Nonisothermal Plasma Waveguide in a Finite External Magnetic Field

A MHD, symmetrical, nonpotential waves in nonuniform, cylindrical nonisothermal plasma waveguide placed in a finite external magnetic field H ₀ directed along the axis of the waveguide are considered. The thermal velocity of the electrons ν_Te = (kT_e/m_e)^1/2 (k — Boltzman's constant, T_e — temperature, m_e — mass of the electron) is not neglected. As a consequence we obtain one more solution in the plasma region and respectively an equation of third power on χ² — the transverse wave number. As far as we know only equations of second power on χ² describing non-potential waves are investigated. The dispersion equations are written solving the boundary-value problem. Our results coincide with well known ones when the electron thermal velocity tends to zero.     

Magnetic-field-induced retardation of the recombination of nonequilibrium charge carriers in semiconductors

The retardation of the recombination of electrons and holes in semiconductors in an applied uniform magnetic field has been predicted. It has been shown that the recombination time in germanium in the temperature range of T = 1–10 K at charge carrier densities of n _e = 10¹⁰−10¹⁴ cm⁻³ in magnetic fields of B = 3 × 10²−3 × 10⁴ G can be more than two orders of magnitude larger than that at zero magnetic field. This means that, after creation of nonequilibrium charge carriers by their injection at the p-n junction owing to some radiation sources or fast electron irradiation, the semiconductor retains its conductivity for a much longer time at nonzero applied magnetic field. The effect under study can be used, for example, to detect radiation sources.     

Electric field effect on the luminescence of KI:T1

Thermoluminescence of KI: T1, X- or β-irradiated at T ?77°K shows two main peaks at 105°K and 170°K. They are respectively attributed to the recombination of mobile V_K centres with T1^O centres and to the recombination of thermally released electrons from T1^O centres with T1²⁺ centres. Similar experiments performed under static electric fields (E <40kV cm^-1) show that the intensity of the second glow peak is strongly reduced. The relative intensity variation is anticorrelated with the intensity of glow peaks occurring at T > 230 °K. We suggest that in the temperature range in which T1^O centres are thermally ionised, the effect of the electric field is to favour the retrapping of these electrons on other traps (still unknown). Irradiation doses also play an important role and their effects are studied at T = 77 °K and T = 200 °K.     

Interference of Electromagnetic and Weak Interactions at High Energies and Neutral-Current μe Universality

A review is given on three types of experiments which recently detected the interference of electromagnetic and weak interactions at high energies in the reactions eD₂ → eX (SLAC, 1979), e⁺e⁻ → μ⁺μ⁻ (PETRA/PEP, 1981–83) and μ±C→μ±X (BCDMS, 1982). Asymmetry formulae are explicitely derived using the quark-parton model and the SU(2) × U(1) standard theory. With particular emphasis on the deep inelastic muon scattering experiment, the corresponding experiments are described and their results summarized. Combined fits to the 1983 asymmetry and νe data verify completely the muon-electron universality of the weak neutral current interaction giving for the vector and axial-vector coupling constants v_e = 0.02 ± 0.06, a_e = −0.54 ± 0.03 (electrons) and v_μ = −0.05 ± 0.16, a_μ = −0.51 ± 0.05 (muons).