Effect of plasma sheath structure in plasma focus

The development of plasma sheath in the run-down phase and pinch phase in a plasma focus is studied with laser interferometry. The time-resolved interferograms show that the structures of plasma sheaths in the run-down phase are different at low and high pressures of filling gas. This leads to a distinct plasma pattern above the anode. At low pressure the plasma sheath in the run-down phase has clear boundaries, resulting in better compression in the pinch phase and a higher X-ray yield. At high pressure the plasma sheath is turbulent at the back side and become disordered in the pinch phase, giving little or no X-ray emission. The effect of a ceiling, i.e., a metal plate placed above the anode, is investigated. With the ceiling the reproducibility of X-ray emission is much improved     

Cable guns as a plasma source in a plasma opening switch

The characteristics of a plasma generated by cable plasma guns have been studied by a laser interferometer. Cable plasma guns are frequently used as a plasma source in plasma opening switches. In our experiments, the plasma source consists of eight coaxial cable guns mounted on the outer electrode of concentric coaxial electrodes. The reproducibility of the gun in subsequent shots is found to be better than 10%, and the gun-to-gun difference is less than 15%. Assuming a symmetry of eight guns, the contour maps of the electron plasma density are plotted as functions of time. The plasma density becomes maximum near the gun nozzle and near the inner coaxial electrode. The plasma density is low in the area between the coaxial electrodes during the early time of the discharge. At a later time, the plasma fills the space between the two guns more uniformly. Still photographs of the plasma luminosity show a good correspondence with the plasma density plots which were taken 10 μs after the discharge initiation. The plasma gun system is designed for use in a 400-kA inductive voltage adder with the inductive energy storage system     

On the excitation temperature of pulsed plasma produced from washer plasma gun in a compact plasma system

The washer plasma gun is widely used to produce pulsed plasma and has various applications in plasma physics. A washer plasma gun and a Guillemin-E type pulse forming network are designed and fabricated in the laboratory to produce pulsed argon plasma in the Compact Plasma System. The spectroscopic signals of pulsed plasma are taken through toughened float glass at a distance of about 0.3 m from the plasma gun by a USB4000 digital spectrometer. Assuming the gun plasma is in Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium, Boltzmann plot method and the line ratio method are used to measure the excitation/electron temperature of pulsed plasma with different base pressure varying from 0.2 mbar to 1 mbar. The excitation/electron temperature of the plasma increases slightly with increasing base pressure within the range of 0.2 mbar to 0.8 mbar and then decreases slightly at a pressure of 1 mbar. Both methods produce almost similar results in temperature measurement, but the Boltzmann Plot method is most accurate than line ratio method and widely used method to obtain the excitation/electron temperature of plasma in Local Thermodynamic equilibrium condition.     

Amplification of longitudinal plasma oscillations upon a decrease in plasma concentration

Amplification of plasma oscillations in a homogeneous plasma by reducing its concentration is considered. The frequency of plasma oscillations decreases upon a decrease in the plasma concentration, and the resonant velocity of the plasma electrons, which is equal to the wave phase velocity, also decreases. Due to this, the number of resonant electrons exponentially increases in the equilibrium plasma. Since the energy of plasma oscillations is mainly determined by the contribution of the resonant electrons, this energy also increases exponentially.     

Variation of plasma parameters in a modified mode of plasma production in a double plasma device

A modified mode of plasma production in a double plasma device is presented and plasma parameters are controlled in this configuration. Here plasma is produced by applying a discharge voltage between the hot filaments in the source (cathode) and the target magnetic cage (anode) of the device. In this configuration, the hot electron emitting filaments are present only in the source and the magnetic cage of this is kept at a negative bias such that due to the repulsion of the cage bias, the primary electrons can go to the grounded target and produce plasma there. The plasma parameters can be controlled by varying the voltages applied to the source magnetic cage and the separation grid of the device.     

Nonlinear plasma resonance in inhomogeneous relativistic plasma

We present a theoretical study of relativistic electron plasma oscillations in the plasma resonance region based on the renormalization group symmetry method. A steady-state solution to equations describing the electron dynamics in the vicinity of the plasma resonance is found and spatial-temporal and spectral characteristics of the potential electric field are discussed.     

Nonlinear resonance of plasma waves in the thermal irregularities of ionospheric plasma

We study the effect of striction plasma density disturbances on the generation intensity of longitudional cold and plasma oscillations due to polarization of the magnetic field-aligned ionospheric plasma irregularities with δN_o<0 by a powerful radio wave. It is assumed that the plasma density level inside the irregularity intersects the upper-hybrid resonance level, in the vicinity of which the cold oscillations excited directly by a powerful radio wave are transformed to shorter-wave plasma oscillations. We consider the short plasma wave limit to reduce the problem to a system of two coupled equations for the cold wave induction and plasma wave electric field. The first equation is supplemented by a local source equal to the integral of the plasma wave electric field in the resonance region. The second equation involves the cold wave induction at the resonance point and describes the electric field of interacting waves in the resonance vicinity. We use simplifications connected with the small absorption of plasma waves propagating inside the irregularity and weak radiation of these waves outside the irregularity. These conditions correspond to the generation of eigenmodes of plasma oscillations trapped in the irregularity. We have obtained a resonance-type nonlinear equation for the electric field intensity (or energy flux) of eigenmode plasma waves with allowance for striction disturbances of the plasma density profile in the resonance region. It is shown that the striction expulsion of plasma is responsible for the occurrence of coefficients describing the change in the intensity of excitation and radiation of plasma waves at the irregularity boundary. Such an expulsion leads to variations of the efficient generation band of plasma eigenmodes with the total phase increment of the wave in the irregularity. It also leads to a change in the phase shift of the plasma wave reflected from the resonance. These coefficients and the nonlinear phase shift are expressed in terms of real wave functions of the nonlinear Airy equation which describes the electric field of the excited waves in the resonance vicinity when the dissipation is absent. Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk, Moscow region, Russia. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 270–297, March, 1998.     

Correlation of plasma electron temperature with neutron emission ina low-energy plasma focus

Correlation of neutron emission with plasma electron temperature in a low-energy (2.3 kJ) plasma focus is investigated. To determine the plasma temperature by continuum X-ray analysis, cobalt is selected as the filter, which discriminates the line radiation from the background impurities like carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen, or the copper of which plasma focus electrodes are made. For a pressure range of high neutron emission (1-4 mbar), the neutron yield is found to correlate with the plasma temperature. The highest temperature recorded is 5 keV at 2.5 mbar, the filling pressure for the highest neutron emission in this device     

Fluctuation of arc plasma in arc plasma torch with multiple cathodes

Fluctuation phenomena commonly exist in arc plasmas, limiting the application of this technology.In this paper,we report an investigation of fluctuations of arc plasmas in an arc plasma torch with multiple cathodes.Time-resolved images of the plasma column and anode arc roots are captured.Variations of the arc voltage, plasma column diameter, and pressure are also revealed.The results indicate that two well-separated fluctuations exist in the arc plasma torch.One is the high-frequency fluctuation(of several thousand Hz), which arises from transferring of the anode arc root.The other is the low-frequency fluctuation(of several hundred Hz), which may come from the pressure variation in the arc plasma torch.Initial analysis reveals that as the gas flow rate changes, the low-frequency fluctuation shows a similar variation trend with the Helmholtz oscillation.This oscillation leads to the shrinking and expanding of the plasma column.As a result, the arc voltage shows a sinusoidal fluctuation.     

Interaction of a plasma source with an ambient plasma

Summary Plasma sources are used to control spacecraft potential and, in general, to improve the electrical contact between a charged body and the space plasma. In the present paper we address the problem of the interaction of a plasma source with the ambient plasma. The source is supposed to be positively charged with respect to the ambient. A self-consistent collisionless one-dimensional fluid model is sketched and some of the results obtained are then presented and discussed. Paper presented at the V Cosmic Physics National Conference, S. Miniato, November 27–30, 1990.     

Time-dependent nested-well plasma trap

When arranged in a nested-well configuration, plasma traps of the Penning/Malmberg type become potentially suitable for confining neutral plasmas. The nested-well configuration allows confinement of overlapping electron and ion plasmas. With an ion plasma overlapped by an equal-charge-density electron plasma, the ion density can exceed the severe ion density limit which occurs within traditional single-well plasma traps. With a nested-well configuration which is time dependent, overlapping electron and singly charged-ion plasmas can be confined at the same temperature. Possible uses of thermal neutral plasmas confined within time-dependent nested-well plasma traps include basic plasma science studies and plasma processing applications     

Inductive plasma sources for plasma implantation and deposition

External and reentrant radio frequency inductive plasma sources are developed for plasma ion implantation and deposition processes in a 1.8 m³ vacuum vessel. Plasma densities in the range 10¹⁶ -10¹⁷ m^-3 desirable for the above processes. External plasma sources could not yield the required plasma densities because of high particle losses in the transition region between the source and the main vessel. The particle losses are clarified through experiments and analysis, with and without multipole magnetic confinement. Reentrant plasma sources eliminate transmission losses and yield high plasma densities with good spatial uniformity     

A dust plasma

A dust plasma was created using spores in a glass discharge tube. The dust particles become negatively charged, levitate in the positive plasma potential, and behave like massive electrons. A laser beam is used to make the dust visible, revealing plasma structure, such as the wall sheath and the direction of the local electric field     

Modeling of plasma behavior in a plasma electrode Pockels cell

We present three interrelated models of plasma behavior in a plasma electrode Pockels cell (PEPC). In a PEPC, plasma discharges are formed on both sides of a thin, large-aperture electro-optic crystal (typically KDP). The plasmas act as optically transparent, highly conductive electrodes, allowing uniform application of a longitudinal field to induce birefringence in the crystal. First, we model the plasma in the thin direction, perpendicular to the crystal, via a one-dimensional fluid model. This yields the electron temperature and the density and velocity profiles in this direction as functions of the neutral pressure, the plasma channel width, and the discharge current density. Next, me model the temporal response of the crystal to the charging process, combining a circuit model with a model of the sheath which forms near the crystal boundary. This model gives the time-dependent voltage drop across the sheath as a function of electron density at the sheath entrance. Finally, we develop a two dimensional MHD model of the planar plasma, in order to calculate the response of the plasma to magnetic fields. We show how the plasma uniformity is affected by the design of the current return, by the longitudinal field from the cathode magnetron, and by fields from other sources. This model also gives the plasma sensitivity to the boundary potential at which the top and bottom of the discharge are held. We validate these models by showing how they explain observations in three large Pockels cells built at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory     

Enhancement of process efficacy using seed plasma in pulsed high-voltage glow-discharge plasma implantation

Pulsed high-voltage glow-discharge plasma implantation is a practical and effective surface modification technique, although the factors influencing the mechanism are still not well understood. In this Letter, we describe the use of seed plasma to alter the discharge characteristics and improve the efficiency of the process. The seed plasma is produced by an ionization gauge that is a common vacuum measurement device in plasma ion implanters. The ignition behavior of the glow discharge in the presence of seed plasma was experimentally investigated. The seed plasma induces early igniting and the impact diminishes with increasing applied voltage or working pressure. Early triggering is favorable with respect to the mitigation of arcing and the enhancement of the processing and electrical efficacy, and the phenomenon may convey useful information pertaining to the mechanism of the complicated pulsed high-voltage glow-discharge process.     

Effects of discharge frequency on plasma characteristics andetching characteristics in high density Cl2 plasma:comparison of ultrahigh-frequency plasma and radio-frequency plasma

We investigated the effects of discharge frequency on the characteristics of polycrystalline-silicon etching rates and on the etching selectivity on the gate oxide (SiO₂). An ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) plasma excited at 500 MHz was found to possess a wider process window for highly selective polycrystalline silicon etching than did an inductively coupled plasma excited at 13.56 MHz. The ionization rate in the UHF plasma is nearly constant at discharge pressures from 3-20 mtorr because the discharge frequency is higher than the electron-collision frequency in that plasma     

A unipolar pulsed plasma generator in combination with a laser as a plasma jet source

A pulsed plasma generator ignited by plasma produced by laser radiation is described. The plasma generator can provide a relatively high-velocity plasma jet of specific chemical composition. The principal parameters of the plasma jet (its velocity, charged particle concentration, and temperature) have been measured and the properties of the plasma jet have been found to be independent of the polarity of the plasma generator ring electrode.The authors are grateful to M. A. El'yashevich for discussing the present paper.     

Nonlinear propagation of ion plasma waves in dust-ion plasma including quantum-relativistic effect

In this paper we have theoretically investigated the quantum and relativistic effects on ion plasma wave in an unmagnetised dust-ion plasma. By using the method of normal mode analysis, we have obtained a linear dispersion relation. It has been analysed numerically for quantum and relativistic effects on the propagation of ion plasma wave. By using the standard reductive perturbation technique, we have derived a Korteweg–de Vries (KdV) equation which describes the nonlinear propagation of the wave. Numerically, it is shown that only compressive type of soliton can exist in the plasma under consideration. It is found that the solitary wave profile depends significantly on the quantum and relativistic parameters. The dust size, dust charge and the dust number density are also shown to have significant influences on these solitary waves. The results of this present investigation have some relevance to the nonlinear propagation of ion plasma wave in some astrophysical, space and laboratory plasma environments.     

Measurement of Mach probe on plasma flow velocity in highly collisional plasma jet

A normalized plasma flow velocity in highly collisional plasma formed by a microwave plasma jet, which is dimensionless unit for plasma flow velocity/ion acoustic velocity, was measured by the parallel Mach probe. To deduce the normalized plasma flow velocity under highly collisional plasma conditions, the collisional model of a Mach probe was proposed. In addition, neutral gas flow velocity which assumed to be plasma flow velocity was calculated by the turbulent model. The results for the two different models were compared with those for the collsionless models of the Mach probe. The turbulent model produced 2–4 times reduced values than by measurements with collsionless models. The measured results with the collisional model were shown as approximately 100–250% lower than those for collsionless models. They were obtained to be in good agreement with difference rate of 10–30% when compared to those for the turbulent model.