Study of Nitrogen Atom Recombination by Optical Emission Spectroscopy

The reaction kinetics in nitrogen flowing afterglow was studied by optical emission spectroscopy. The DC flowing post-discharge in pure nitrogen was created in a quartz tube at the total gas pressure of 1000 Pa. The optical emission spectra were measured along the flow tube. It was found that N atoms are the most important particles in the late nitrogen afterglow. In order to explain the decrease of N atom concentration, it was also necessary to include the surface recombination of N atoms to the model

Study of Argon Afterglow with the Air Addition

The reaction kinetics in argon flowing afterglow (post-discharge) with the air addition was studied by optical emission spectroscopy. The optical emission spectra were measured along the~post-discharge flow tube. A zero-dimensional kinetic model for the reactions in the afterglow was developed. This model allows to calculate the time dependencies of particle concentrations

Diagnostics of Nitrogen-methane Atmospheric Glow Discharge Used for a Mimic of Prebiotic Atmosphere

The exploration of planetary atmosphere is being advanced by the exciting results of the Cassin-Huygens mission to Titan. The complex chemistry revealed in such atmospheres leading to the synthesis of bigger molecules is providing new insights into our understanding of how life on Earth developed. This work extends our previous investigation of nitrogen-methane (N2-CH4) atmospheric glow discharge for simulation chemical processes in prebiotic atmospheres. In presented experiments 2 % of water vapor were addet to nitrogen-methane gas mixture. Exhaust products of discharge in this gas mixture were in-situ analysed by Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy (FTIR). The major products identified in spectra were: hydrogen cyanide, acetylene and acetonitrile

Fluorescence (TALIF) measurement of atomic hydrogen concentration in a coplanar surface dielectric barrier discharge

Spatially and temporally resolved measurements of atomic hydrogen concentration above the dielectric of coplanar barrier discharge are presented for atmospheric pressure in 2.2% H2/Ar. The measurements were carried out in the afterglow phase by means of two-photon absorption laser-induced fluorescence (TALIF). The difficulties of employing the TALIF technique in close proximity to the dielectric surface wall were successfully addressed by taking measurements on a suitable convexly curved dielectric barrier, and by proper mathematical treatment of parasitic signals from laser–surface interactions. It was found that the maximum atomic hydrogen concentration is situated closest to the dielectric wall from which it gradually decays. The maximum absolute concentration was more than 10^22 m-3. In the afterglow phase, the concentration of atomic hydrogen above the dielectric surface stays constant for a considerable time (10 us - 1 ms), with longer times for areas situated farther from the dielectric surface. The existence of such a temporal plateau was explained by the presented 1D model: the recombination losses of atomic hydrogen farther from the dielectric surface are compensated by the diffusion of atomic hydrogen from regions close to the dielectric surface. The fact that a temporal plateau exists even closest to the dielectric surface suggests that the dielectric surface acts as a source of atomic hydrogen in the afterglow phase