Excitation of singly-ionized argon species in helium-matrix Grimm glow discharge plasmas II – Comparison between argon and neon

A considerable intensity enhancement of several Ar II lines assigned to the 3p(4)4p-3p(4)4s transition in a helium-argon Grimm glow discharge plasma has been previously reported and attributed to argon ions excited by metastable helium atoms. In this paper the behavior of Ne II lines assigned to the 2p(4)3p-2p(4)3s transition in a helium-neon plasma was investigated to obtain detailed information on the excitation of plasma gases in the helium-matrix plasmas. No Ne II lines with enhanced emission intensities have been found; on the contrary, the intensities of the doublet Ne II lines decreased in the helium-matrix plasma.     

Stark broadening and regularities of ionized neon and argon spectral lines

Stark widths of five Ne III, five Ne IV, one Ar III and nine ArIV spectral lines have been measured in a linear-pinch discharge plasma. The results were compared with existing experimental and theoretical results, and used to establish several types of regularities. Electron densities determined with single-wavelength laser interferometry were 2.18·10²³ m^?3 and 2.80·10²³ m^?3 in neon and argon plasma, respectively. The electron temperatures determined from the Boltzmann slope of several Ne III spectral lines, and ratios of Ne III to Ne IV or Ar III to Ar IV spectral lines were 59 000 K and 42 000 K in neon and argon plasma, respectively. The investigated spectral lines originate predominantly, from 3s–3p and 3s′–3p′ Ne III and Ne IV, and from 4s–4p and 4s′–4p′ Ar III and Ar IV transition arrays. The emphasis is on the Stark width (θ) dependence on the upper level ionization potential (I), the emitter core net charge (z) and electron temperature (T) for a given electron density. This dependence was found to be of the form: θ=az ² T ^?1/2 I ^?b , wherea andb are constants within(i) several stages of ionization of neon or argon and(ii) within nitrogen like (NI, O II, F III and Ne IV) 3s–3p or phosphorus like (P I, S II, Cl III and Ar IV) 4s–4p transition arrays. The established overall trends were used to predict the Stark widths of univestigated spectral lines originating from the given transition arrays.     

A spectroscopic study of laser-induced tin–lead plasma: Transition probabilities for spectral lines of Sn I

In this paper, we present transition probabilities for 97 spectral lines of Sn I, corresponding to transitions n(n = 6,7,8)s → 5p², n(n = 5,6,7)d → 5p², 5p³ → 5p², n(n = 7)p → 6s, determined by measuring the intensities of the emission lines of a Laser-induced breakdown (emission) spectrometry (LIBS). The optical emission spectroscopy from a laser-induced plasma generated by a 10 640 Å radiation, with an irradiance of 1.4 × 10¹⁰ Wcm^− 2 on an Sn–Pb alloy (an Sn content of approximately 20%), in vacuum, was recorded at 0.8 µs, and analysed between 1900 and 7000 Å. The population-level distribution and corresponding temperature were obtained using Boltzmann plots. The electron density of the plasma was determined using well-known Stark broadening parameters of spectral lines. The plasma under study had an electron temperature of 13,200 K and an electron number density of 2 × 10¹⁶ cm^− 3. The experimental relative transition probabilities were put on an absolute scale using the branching ratio method to calculate Sn I multiplet transition probabilities from available radiative lifetime data of their upper states and plotting the Sn I emission spectrum lines on a Boltzmann plot assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) to be valid and following Boltzmann's law. The LTE conditions and plasma homogeneity have been checked. Special attention was paid to the possible self-absorption of the different transitions. The experimental results obtained have been compared with the experimental values given by other authors.     

Comparative studies on excitation of nickel ionic lines between argon and krypton glow discharge plasmas

The emission characteristics of nickel ionic lines in a glow discharge plasma are investigated when argon or krypton was employed as the plasma gas. Large difference in the relative intensities of nickel ionic lines which are assigned to the 3d⁸4p–3d⁸4s transition is observed between the krypton plasma and the argon plasma. Different intense Ni II lines appear in the krypton spectrum and in the argon spectrum, such as the Ni II 231.601 nm for Kr and the Ni II 230.009 nm for Ar. The excitation energy of these Ni II emission lines can give a key in considering their excitation mechanisms. The explanation for these experimental results is that charge-transfer collisions between nickel atom and the plasma gas ion play a major role in exciting the 3d⁸4p excited levels of nickel ion. The conditions for energy resonance in the charge-transfer collision determine particular energy levels having much larger population; for example, the 3d⁸4p ⁴D_7/2 level (6.39 eV) for Kr and the 3d⁸4p ⁴P_5/2 level (8.25 eV) for Ar.     

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy for branching ratio and atomic lifetime measurements in singly-ionized neodymium and gallium

Precision laboratory astrophysics measurements can be made in laser-induced plasmas created for laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy. Branching ratios from highly-energetic levels in singly-ionized neodymium may be measured by observing spontaneous emission in laser-induced plasmas in an argon environment at decreased pressures (~ 7.7 mbar). Utilizing a broadband Èchelle spectrometer with a spectral range from 200–840 nm, the spontaneous emission intensities from hundreds of transitions originating in 138 energy levels in Nd I, Nd II, and Nd III have been observed simultaneously, allowing the determination of branching ratios for these energy levels for branches greater than 1% in the visible wavelength range. In this study, eight branching ratios from the 23,229.991 cm^− 1 level in Nd II were measured and compared to previously determined values as a method for optimizing experimental conditions such as buffer gas pressure and observation delay time. The branching ratios of the eight branches were found to be in excellent agreement with three previously determined values from both experiment and theory. A plan to utilize this laser-induced plasma apparatus to measure the lifetime of the 4s5p³P₂ level at 118,727.89 cm^− 1 in singly-ionized gallium using a cascade-photon-coincidence method is also presented. Utilizing a solid Ga target ablated in a helium environment, “start photons” at 541.6 nm from a transition into the 4s5p³P₂ level and “stop photons” at 633.4 nm from a transition out of that Ga II energy level were observed. Single-photon detection will be accomplished using avalanche photodiodes with narrowband interference filters and delay times between the detection of coincident photons from these two transitions will be measured.     

Computer analysis of equilibrium data in solution. A method for computing the formation constants of two mass balance systems,from potentiometric measurements,applied to the hydrolysis of copper(II)

Summary A computer program for two mass balance systems (in solution) has been written in FORTRAN IV. This program (ES3TM) refines the formation constants and some titration parameters (E⁰, analytical concentrations) from potentiometric data, using the Marquardt algorithm for the Gauss nonlinear least squares method. The program has been compared with some other programs reported in the literature. In order to test the ES3TM program and to obtain reliable values of formation constants for the species, [Cu_p(OH)_q]^(2p–q)+, we studied the hydrolysis of copper(II) by pH-metric measurements at 37°C and I=0.15 mol dm^–3 (NaNO₃). The results of the refinement have been discussed in the light of the characteristics of the ES3TM program and of the reliability of the speciation models on copper(II) hydrolysis reported up to now.See Appendix.     

Analytical performance of high-voltage neon plasma in glow discharge optical emission spectrometry

In a high-voltage Ne glow discharge plasma (Ne-GDP), calibration factors as well as the limit of determination were compared between atomic resonance lines and singly-ionized lines of copper and aluminium in optical emission spectrometry. These elements have intense ionic lines which are excited by resonance charge-transfer collisions of Ne ions. The ionic lines gave better detection sensitivity in the Ne-GDP, whereas the atomic resonance lines were commonly employed as analytical lines in the other plasma sources such as Ar-GDP and ICP. The limit of determination was 1.3 × 10^–3 mass % for the Cu II 248.58 nm line and 1.0 × 10^–3 mass % Al for the Al II 358.66 nm line at a discharge parameter of 1.60 kV/36 mA.     

Structure of x-ray photoelectron 2p and 1s spectra and x-ray Kα emission line of copper in YBa2Cu3O7−δ and CuO,on the basis of SCF-Xα-SW calculations

Conclusions Through an analysis of the electronic structure of the ground state and 2p and 1s hole states of the CuO₄ ^6– cluster, modeling the immediate environment of a copper atom (one of the two types) in YBa₂Cu₃O_7– and the immediate environment of the copper atom in CuO, it has been shown that upon ionization of core levels of copper, there is a radical reconstruction of the valence band of the cluster with a change in character of the chemical bond from covalent to ionic. Along with this, charge is transferred from the copper-oxygen bond to the central atom. Ionization of core levels leads to intense excitation of electrons into the upper semifilled valence level of the cluster 3b_1g, and also leads to the appearance in the x-ray photoelectron and x-ray spectra (K spectra, for example) of intense satellite lines with strong multiplet splitting (with the exception of the satellite of the x-ray photoelectron 1s spectrum). We have confirmed the interpretation of the x-ray photoelectron 2p_3/2 (2p_1/2) spectrum and have predicted the form of the x-ray photoelectron 1s spectrum of copper(II). On the basis of the same approach, a complex structure has been predicted for the x-ray K emission line and it has been confirmed that the shift of this line in compounds of copper(II) must be made with some caution, as the shift may be due (for example) to a change in relative intensities of the main and satellite lines, which are located relative to each other at a distance of 0.4 eV.Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences. Translated from Zhurnal Strukturnoi Khimii, Vol. 33, No. 4, pp. 14–22, July–August, 1992.     

Analytical performance of high-voltage neon plasma in glow discharge optical emission spectrometry

In a high-voltage Ne glow discharge plasma (Ne-GDP), calibration factors as well as the limit of determination were compared between atomic resonance lines and singly-ionized lines of copper and aluminium in optical emission spectrometry. These elements have intense ionic lines which are excited by resonance charge-transfer collisions of Ne ions. The ionic lines gave better detection sensitivity in the Ne-GDP, whereas the atomic resonance lines were commonly employed as analytical lines in the other plasma sources such as Ar-GDP and ICP. The limit of determination was 1.3 × 10^–3 mass % for the Cu II 248.58 nm line and 1.0 × 10^–3 mass % Al for the Al II 358.66 nm line at a discharge parameter of 1.60 kV/36 mA. Received: 22 January 1999 / Revised: 15 March 1999 / Accepted: 20 March 1999     

Induction of phr gene expression in E. coli strain KY706/pPL-1 by He–Ne laser (632.8 nm) irradiation

We have observed that He–Ne laser irradiation of E. coli strain KY706/pPL-1 leads to induction of photolyase gene, phr. The magnitude of induction was found to depend on the He–Ne laser fluence, fluence rate and post-irradiation incubation period in the nutrient medium. The optimum values for fluence and fluence rate were 7×10³ J/m² and 100 W/m², respectively, and the induction of phr gene was observed to saturate beyond an incubation period of 2 h. Experiments carried out with singlet oxygen quenchers and with D₂O suggest that the effect is mediated via singlet oxygen. Photoreactivation studies carried out after UVC exposure of both the He–Ne laser-exposed as well as unexposed cells showed a larger surviving fraction in the He–Ne laser pre-irradiated cells. This can be attributed to He–Ne laser irradiation-induced induction of phr expression. However, since even without photoreactivating light He–Ne laser pre-irradiated cells show higher survival against UVC radiation it appears that He–Ne laser irradiation induces both light-dependent as well as dark DNA repair processes.