MPD arcs as plasma sources for recombination lasers

In this study the decay of argon plasmas ejected from a MPD thruster described in a previous paper is investigated. Various parameters, e.g. the electron densityN _e , the electron temperatureT _e , and the absorption coefficient of the ArII-488 nm transition are measured by different experimental techniques. Axial and radial profiles ofN _e andT _e are determined, and used to decide on the relevant recombination mechanism. In spite of the fact that the dominant three-body recombination favours the population of the high-lying energy levels, population inversions have been observed even with the most sensitive method only in plasmas ejected from a reduced aperture of the MPD thruster. The theoretical analysis shows that the ranges ofT _e andN _e , in which recombination-lasing may be expected, are narrow. In addition, the mechanisms that limit the population inversions in discharge tubes of conventional Ar⁺-lasers restrict the dimension of the plasma perpendicular to the resonator axis. From these facts and the described measurements on population inversions we conclude that the initial diameter of the plasma has to be reduced. We therefore propose a new discharge configuration where extended regions of constant plasma parameters can be expected. With this arrangement it should be possible to reach population inversions required for laser oscillations in ArII.Polish Academy of Sciences, Gdansk, Poland     

Relations between theT 0 values of bulk and quantum-well GaAs

A simple calculation of the threshold current densityJ _th of quantum-well and bulk GaAs lasers shows that it is proportional to the temperatureT in the first case and toT ^3/2 in the second case. As a consequence theT ₀ value of quantum-well GaAs is 3/2 times larger than for the bulk material. Moreover, we get a further doubling ofT ₀ for a one-dimensional quantum-well wire. These results are independent on the magnitude ofJ _th and hold also for other laser materials, provided that the Auger recombination is negligible as in GaAs.     

Characterization of superconducting YBaCuO-films by low temperature scanning electron microscopy

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy has been performed for imaging the spatial distribution of the critical current densityj _c(x,y) and of the critical temperatureT _c(x,y) in polycrystalline superconducting YBaCuO films. Strongly inhomogeneous behavior has been observed, and the spatial resolution limit has been found to be 1–2 m. The local temperature increment in the specimen film caused by the electron beam scanning has been demonstrated experimentally as the underlying mechanism of the imaging principle, and the beam-induced thermal perturbation of the high-T _c film/substrate configuration is discussed in detail. The radiation hardness of the sample films against the electron beam irradiation in our imaging experiments has been evaluated. No radiation damage could be detected up to the maximum applied dose of well above 10²⁰ electrons/cm² for a typical beam energy of 26 keV.     

The influences of gas and electron temperatures on electron attachment in gas electrical discharges

Various electron attachment processes are reviewed, emphasising the way in which the rates and products of some selected reactions vary with the attaching gas temperatureT _g, the temperature,T _e, and the energy of the attaching electrons. The examples illustrating the variety of reactions are the efficient dissociative attachment reaction to CCl₄, attachment to SF₆ which involves both dissociative and non-dissociative attachment, attachment to CHCl₃ which requires activation energy, and attachment to CCl₃Br which results in both Cl- and Br- product ions. A model has been presented which is able to quantitatively explain the difference influences ofT _g andT _e on the rates of some of these reactions. Also described are the unusually efficient attachment properties of the fullerene molecules C₆₀ and C₇₀ as revealed by our FALP experiments, noting that these molecules have potential importance as efficient suppressers of electrical breakdown through gases such as those used to insulate high voltage devices. We emphasise throughout this paper the importance of an understanding of the separate influences of gas and electron temperature on attachment reactions for the modelling of practical gas discharge media such as etchant plasmas. We dedicate this paper to Professor Jan Janča on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday in recognition of his major contributions to gas discharge physics.     

On the pumping of plasma lasers by a high-frequency-modulated electron beam

The possibility of effective pumping of plasma lasers by a high-frequency-modulated electron beam, i.e. an electron beam in the form of a periodic train of electron bunches, is discussed. It is shown that if such parameters of the medium as the relaxation times of the electron temperature ρ_Te and the electron density ρ_Ne are in agreement with the pulse width ρ_p and the interval between pulses, 1/?_m, this will facilitate effective laser pumping and amplitude modulation of the laser radiation. Existing microwave tubes, such as a traveling-wave tube and a klystron, provide the required parameters of a periodic train of current pulses (electron bunches) over a wide range of pulse widths ρ_p and pumping current amplitudes.     

Modeling of Plasma-Chemical Reactions in Gas Mixture of CO2 lasers. II. Theoretical Model and its Verification

In the paper we have modelled plasma-chemical reactions in the CO₂ low pressure, DC excited lasers. A good agreement of theoretical and experimental results has been achieved. It has been proved that neglect of reactions with electronic excited species or heterogeneous recombination leads to almost 50% overestimation of CO₂ equilibrium conversion. The relation of CO₂ equilibrium conversion to the reduced field E/N, pressure and current density depends on discharge conditions and mainly on the role played in discharge by ambipolar diffusion. This role decreases with an increase of the discharge diameter and of the mixture convection velocity. The CO₂ equilibrium conversion increases with growth of E/N and j and with decrease of pressure for discharges in small, sealed-off laser systems. The CO₂ equilibrium conversion is not always a monotone function of p in large, convection cooled lasers. It does not depend so much on E/N as the electron temperature alone if conversions in different mixtures are compared.     

The properties of magnetoactive plasma generated by high microwave power with variable polarization

The paper deals with the measurement of the electron densityN and the transverse electron temperatureT _e of a magnetoactive plasma, generated in a circular waveguide by a strong microwave signal with variable polarization. The plasma is generated in a homogeneous magnetic field parallel to the axis of the circular waveguide. The results of the measurements show the great influence of wave polarization upon the properties of the plasma. The results of the penetration of the electromagnetic wave into the plasma as a function of the wave polarization are given, too.The authors wish to thank Dr. J. atlov for his helpful discussions and suggestions concerning the purity of electromagnetic wave polarization.     

Measuring magnetic fields in plasmas by means of light scattering

The theory of light scattering in plasmas containing a magnetic field yields the special case of modulated scattering spectra. The modulation frequency is governed by the field in the plasma and is equal to the electron cyclotron frequency. In this investigation magnetic fields in a plasma were determined by a laser scattering experiment. The experimental data were: electron densityn _e=10¹⁶cm^?3, electron temperatureT _e=3.2 eV, scattering angle θ=90 °, scattering parameter α=0.6, and a maximum field in the plasma of 125 kG. The spectrum measured at the maximum magnetic field was modulated with 3.6 × 10¹¹ Hz. In scattering experiments with a field reduced by about 20% the observed modulation frequency was 2.8 × 10¹¹ Hz. A thermal spectrum with a smooth profile was found when no field was present in the plasma. Applying the theory of cyclotron modulated spectra one obtains from the scattering experiment magnetic fields of 128, 100, and 0 kG. Within the experimental accuracy these values agree well with the fields determined by means of magnetic probes. Other possible interpretations of the measured deviations from thermal spectra (modulation with the plasma frequency or additional cold electron components in the plasma) are discussed, but they afford no explanation. This experiment has domonstrated that magnetic fields in plasmas can be measured locally and almost without disturbance by means of light scattering.     

Very high power line-selective CO2 laser with (line-selective) unstable resonator

By replacing the conventional (non line-selective) unstable resonator, we succeeded in developing the very high power line-selective (line-tunable) CO₂ laser as a pumping source for high power molecular gas (e.g.NH₃) lasers in the infrared and far-infrared regions.The experiments were performed by using the very high power CO₂ laser (4A unit of Lekko VIII) at The Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University.The output power of 9R(30)9.22µ m line from the developed CO₂ laser, for instance, exceeded 0.5GW/pulse (50J/pulse with pulse width of 100nsec).     

Entstehung und Eigenschaften des Halo bei Pinch-Plasmen

In pinch discharges a second plasma regime called halo^1,2 outside the central plasma column^1-4 has been observed. This surrounding plasma was investigated in the experiments with the 5.4 m long compression coil in the ISARI linear theta pinch because there it appears highly pronounced. The development of the discharge was observed side-on (stereoscopic) with image converters and a streak camera. It appears possible to resolve the space-time behaviour of the plasma, especially in the dynamic phase of the discharge where the halo shows a filament like structure, by using high-speed color reversal film (streak camera). Furthermore, the smear pictures show that after 6–8 μsec the halo region is frozen into the external magnetic field, that is from this time the halo is characterized by a high electrical conductivity. The boundary layer of the halo follows a magnetic flux tube. The parameters of the halo, such as electron densityn _e (< 10¹⁵ cm^?3), atomic temperatureT _a , and ion temperatureT _i (< 15 eV), were determined spectroscopically as a function of time and location from the broadening of the deuterium Balmer lines. The absolutely measured line intensities do not allow direct calculation of the electron temperature since the excited levels of the investigated Balmer lines are mainly populated from the ground level. By numerical solution of a system of rate equations describing the change of the levels a region for the electron temperature 5<T _e <10eV can be specified. Different mechanisms, such as photoionization, ionization by electron impact in a time varying magnetic field, ionizing collisions of high velocity neutral atoms with neutral gas at rest, transport processes in the plasma across the magnetic field, instabilities which may cause the development of the halo, are discussed by means of the experimental results. It is concluded that the halo region is caused by flute instabilities.     

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.     

Model temperature dependence of the imaginary ac susceptibility in simple and double superconducting structures

Closed expressions are derived for the temperature dependent imaginary part of the ac susceptibility of simple geometrical forms of superconductors by means of the relation between susceptibility and losses at ac field excitation. The magnetic field dependence of the critical current densityj _c is assumed to follow Bean's or Kim's model. The temperature dependence ofj _c is assumed to be linearly decreasing with a moderate nonlinear tail near the critical temperatureT _c . The Meissner as well as surface barrier shielding effect are also involved into consideration. Simple two component structures are entirely analysed regarding the variety of their relative critical current densities, critical temperatures and dimensions. Using the proposed procedure, it is very simple to derive similar as shown expressions for arbitrary parameters and to use them for getting insight into the inner structure of the investigate superconductors.     

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.     

Parametric study on excitation temperature and electron temperature in low pressure plasmas

This work aims at investigation of the validity of the electron excitation temperature (T_exc) by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) as an alternative diagnostic to the electron temperature (T_e). The excitation and the electron temperatures were measured at a wide range of gas pressures and input powers in different plasmas such as capacitively-coupled, inductively-coupled, and magnetron direct current plasmas. As a result, both temperatures were found to decrease with an increase in pressure, whereas they not very dependent on power, indicating that T_exc showed a tendency identical to that of T_e as pressure and power were varied. This result suggests that T_exc measurement can be an alternative diagnostic for T_e measurement once the ratio of the two temperatures is found in advance through a calibration experiment especially for low pressure high electron density industrial processing plasmas in which probe measurements are limited.     

Instability of layered quantum liquids: 3. New phase in fermion superlattices

Starting with a layered interacting Fermi liquid we describe a possible origin of high-T _c superconductivity. We argue that for a electron densityN smaller than a critical densityN _c many-body effects are very large in layered electron systems leading, to an attraction of electrons in neighboring planes. This attraction leads to pairing of two electrons. The paired electrons are bosons, which undergo a Bose-Einstein condensation and form a Schafroth superconductor (local pairing) with a boson densityN _B expressed asT _c N _B N[1-(N/N _c )^1/2]. This superconductor is characterized by a short coherence length. We compare our theoretical results for the critical temperatureT _c , the pressure effect coefficient and the isotope effect coefficient with experimental results and find good agreement.     

A simple model for optimization design of high performance In1−x−y Ga y Al x As strained MQW DFB lasers

It is well known that complex rate equations and the couple wave equation have to be solved by the method of iteration in the simulation of multi-quantum well (MQW) distributed feedback Bragg (DFB) lasers, and a long CPU time is needed. In this paper, from the oscillation condition of lasers, we propose a simple and fast model for optimization of In_1–x–y Ga _y Al _x As strained MQW DFB lasers. The well number and the cavity length of 1.55 m wavelength In_1–x–y Ga _y Al _x As MQW DFB lasers are optimized using the model. As a result, the simple model gives almost the same results as the complex one, but 90% CPU time can be saved. In addition, a low threshold, high maximum operating temperature of 550–560 K, and high relaxation oscillation frequency of over 30 GHz MQW DFB laser is presented.     

Influence of Plasma Resistance and Fluctuation on Probe Characteristics in Detached Recombining Plasmas

In order to find the causes of the strong anomaly of current‐voltage characteristics of Langmuir probe observed in detached recombining plasmas in a linear divertor plasma simulator, NAGDIS‐II, we have investigated plasma resistance along a magnetic field and potential fluctuations in the detached recombining plasmas. Simple calculation on the ratio between the plasma length, at which plasma resistance and resistance of ion sheath formed around a probe tip become equal, and an electron collection length indicates that the evaluation of electron temperature T_e becomes inaccurate at T_e of less than 0.6 eV when plasma density and neutral pressure are 1.0 × 10¹⁸ m^—3 and 10 mtorr, respectively. The potential fluctuation in detached recombining plasmas was found to be so large compared to T_e/e, which can also modify the probe characteristics.     

Design considerations and scaling laws for high power convective cooled CW CO2 lasers

Various criteria for designing high power convective cooled CO₂ lasers have been discussed. Considering the saturation intensity, optical damage threshold of the optical resonator components and the small-signal gain, the scaling laws for designing high power CW CO₂ lasers have been established. In transverse flow CO₂ lasers having discharge of square cross-section, the discharge lengthL and its widthW for a specific laser powerP (Watt) and gas flow velocityV (cm/s) can be given byL = 1.4 x 10⁴ p ^1/2 V ^-1 cms andW = 0.04P ^1/2 cms. The optimum transmitivity of the output coupler is found to be almost constant (about 60%), independent of the small signal gain and laser power. In fast axial flow CO₂ lasers the gas flow should be divided into several discharge tubes to maintain the flow velocity within sonic limit. The discharge length in this type of laser does not depend explicitly on the laser power, instead it depends on the input power density in the discharge and the gas flow velocity. Various considerations for ensuring better laser beam quality are also discussed.     

Negative ion effects in CO2 convection laser discharges

Negative ions are computed to be formed on a time scale and in quantities such that they may be a cause of plasma instability observed in low pressure electrical discharge convection CO₂ lasers. In a typical CO₂−N₂−He−H₂O laser mixture the principal ions are CO ₃ ⁻ , CO ₄ ⁻ and H⁻ with the total negative ion densityn ₋ given by 0.1n _e <n ₋<n _e , wheren _e is the electron density: but if the gases are re-cycled or if there is an air leak NO ₂ ⁻ and NO ₃ ⁻ are formed in significant amounts andn ₋ can become greater thann _e in a time considerably less than the gas dwell time in the electrical excitation discharge. CO is effective in reducingn ₋ in a system without re-cycling, but is ineffective in a re-cycled system with the oxides of nitrogen present.