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Full-Text Articles in Plasma and Beam Physics

Excited Argon 1s5 Production In Microhollow Cathode Discharges, Richard D. Peterson Mar 2018

Excited Argon 1s5 Production In Microhollow Cathode Discharges, Richard D. Peterson

Theses and Dissertations

Diode-pumped rare gas lasers (DPRGL) have been in development for their potential to become high energy lasers with excellent beam quality that is typical of gas lasers. DPRGL require metastable densities on the order of 1013 cm-3 at pressures around one atmosphere for efficient operation. Argon 1s5 number densities have been measured in microhollow cathode discharges (MHCD) using tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy. The MHCD had copper electrodes with gaps of 127 and 254 µm and hole diameters from 100-400 µm. Absorbance was measured at pressures of 37 Torr up to 400 Torr, where absorbance could no longer …


20 Years Of Microplasma Research: A Status Report, Karl H. Schoenbach, Kurt Becker Jan 2016

20 Years Of Microplasma Research: A Status Report, Karl H. Schoenbach, Kurt Becker

Bioelectrics Publications

The field of microplasmas gained recognition as a well-defined area of research and application within the larger field of plasma science and technology about 20 years ago. Since then, the activity in microplasma research and applications has continuously increased. A survey of peer reviewed papers on microplasmas published annually shows a steady increase from fewer than 20 papers in 1995 to about 75 in 2005 and more than 150 in 2014. This count excludes papers that deal exclusively with technological applications where the microplasma is used solely as a tool. This topical review aims to provide a snap shot of …


Comparison Between Electropositive And Electronegative Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Plasmas: A Modelling Study, Ding X. Liu, Jia F. Li, Ai J. Yang, Xiao H. Wang, Ming Z. Rong, Michael G. Kong Jan 2016

Comparison Between Electropositive And Electronegative Cold Atmospheric-Pressure Plasmas: A Modelling Study, Ding X. Liu, Jia F. Li, Ai J. Yang, Xiao H. Wang, Ming Z. Rong, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Cold atmospheric-pressure He + N2 and He + O2 plasmas are chosen as the representatives for electropositive and electronegative plasmas, of which the discharge characteristics are studied and then compared to each other by fluid models. As the increase of the impurity (N2 or O2) fraction from 0 to 10%, for He + N2 plasmas the electron density and ion density increase, the spatiotemporal distributions of electron density, ion density, electron temperature and electron generation rate change a little. On contrast, for He + O2 plasmas the electron density decreases, the ion density …


Electron Heating In Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharges, Robert H. Stark, Karl H. Schoenbach Jan 2001

Electron Heating In Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharges, Robert H. Stark, Karl H. Schoenbach

Bioelectrics Publications

The application of nanosecond voltage pulses to weakly ionized atmospheric pressure plasmas allows heating the electrons without considerably increasing the gas temperature, provided that the duration of the pulses is less than the critical time for the development of glow-to-arc transitions. The shift in the electron energy distribution towards higher energies causes a temporary increase in the ionization rate, and consequently a strong rise in electron density. This increase in electron density is reflected in an increased decay time of the plasma after the pulse application. Experiments in atmospheric pressure air glow discharges with gas temperatures of approximately 2000 K …


Inception Of Snapover And Gas Induced Glow Discharges, J. T. Galofaro, B. V. Vayner, D. C. Ferguson, W. A. Degroot, C. D. Thomson, John R. Dennison, R. E. Davies Jan 2000

Inception Of Snapover And Gas Induced Glow Discharges, J. T. Galofaro, B. V. Vayner, D. C. Ferguson, W. A. Degroot, C. D. Thomson, John R. Dennison, R. E. Davies

All Physics Faculty Publications

Ground based experiments of the snapover phenomenon were conducted in the large vertical simulation chamber at the Glenn Research Center (GRC) Plasma Interaction Facility (PIF). Two Penning sources provided both argon and xenon plasmas for the experiments. The sources were used to simulate a variety of ionospheric densities pertaining to a spacecraft in a Low Earth Orbital (LEO) environment. Secondary electron emission is believed responsible for dielectric surface charging, and all subsequent snapover phenomena observed. Voltage sweeps of conductor potentials versus collected current were recorded in order to examine the specific charging history of each sample. The average time constant …


Numerical Solutions To The Two Dimensional Boltzmann Equation, Christopher G. Smithtro Mar 1999

Numerical Solutions To The Two Dimensional Boltzmann Equation, Christopher G. Smithtro

Theses and Dissertations

A strict kinetic, two-dimensional model of the electron kinetics within a glow discharge positive column is developed. The problem is solved in cylindrical geometry using the standard two-term Legendre expansion of the electron velocity distribution function. The model establishes a steady state solution, such that the net ionization rate is exactly balanced by the wall loss. In addition to a thorough analytic development, we present the numerical techniques used to solve the resulting elliptic partial differential equation, including an efficient method to treat sparse banded matrices. The model is validated against published results, local and nonlocal kinetic approximations, and a …


Double Layer Effects On Shock Wave Propagation, Shannon L. Walker Mar 1999

Double Layer Effects On Shock Wave Propagation, Shannon L. Walker

Theses and Dissertations

An analysis and assessment of two mechanisms in plasma shock interactions was conducted under conditions typically encountered in a weakly ionized glow discharge. The mechanisms of a spatially-dependent electron temperature and additional electron impact ionization at the shock front were examined for effects on shock structure and propagation. These mechanisms were incorporated into an existing one-dimensional, time-dependent, fluid dynamics code that uses the Riemami problem as a basis and numerically solves the Euler equations for two fluids: the neutral gas and the charged component. The spatial variation in electron temperature was modeled as a shock-centered rise in temperature. Additional ionization …


Multi-Ion Ambipolar Diffusion, Thomas E. Gist Jul 1992

Multi-Ion Ambipolar Diffusion, Thomas E. Gist

Theses and Dissertations

The continuity and momentum equations for electrons and multiple ion species are solved analytically and numerically using a new model for ambipolar diffusion. The general form of the model is valid for any quasi-neutral plasma for which the diffusion approximation is appropriate, including positive or negative ions, arbitrary geometries, and time dependence. The model provides criteria for determining when single ion diffusion theory is appropriate for describing multi-ion discharges, when a multi-ion proportional model is appropriate, and when a multi-ion nonproportional model is necessary. An expression is developed which provides a necessary condition for proportionality and provides the proportionality constant …