Temperature and density profiles of magnetically rotating arcs burning in contaminated argon

Spectroscopic measurements on copper vapors emitted by the cathode are presented for magnetically rotating arcs in a coaxial copper electrode geometry. The maximum temperature of a 100-A arc column burning in contaminated argon is shown to be lower than 8000 K. A maximum Cu density of 5 × 10²¹ in m^–3 is observed when argon is contaminated with 1% CO, while it is larger than 10²² m^–3 with 1% nitrogen contamination. The copper vapors emitted by the cathode explain the low temperatures observed. Cases of surface control of the arc velocity at the cathode and radial losses of copper vapors out of the arc column are observed front specific parameters describing the arc profiles. Evidence is given for a copper ion recombination zone extending 2 mm from the cathode in the nitrogen contamination case.