A spectrometric study of a 40 MHz inductively coupled plasma—VII: Continuum of a binary mixture in the visible region of the spectrum

The continuum of an argon-hydrogen plasma is determined both theoretically and experimentally using the determination of physical parameters of the ICP. Similarly to pure argon plasma, radiative recombination is the main process in the continuum formation, below 500 nm. The presence of hydrogen results in an increase of the excitation temperatures and the electron number density, linked with an enhancement of the continuum. On the other hand, easily ionizable elements such as Na and K have no influence on these parameters. The injection of hydrogen via water is the main cause of variation of the ICP physical parameters.