A Spectroscopic Investigation of Spatial Symmetry of Radiation in the U-shaped DC Argon Plasma with Aerosol Supply

Radial distributions of plasma parameters, temperature, and electron number density, together with radial distribution of analyte absorption and emission, were investigated in order to obtain insight into the radial symmetry of low-current (≤ 10 A), atmospheric pressure, argon stabilized arc with tangential introduction of the aerosol. For plasma diagnostics, several methods were used: measurements of H_β line profile, absolute intensity measurements of the argon 430.01-nm line, and of the spectrally adjacent continuum and power interruption technique. It was found that the inevitable asymmetry in aerosol introduction has negligible influence on basic plasma parameters but influences considerably the spatial distribution of the analyte particle spectral absorption and emission.