Coherent and incoherent Thomson scattering on an argon/hydrogen microwave plasma torch with transient behaviour

\u3cp\u3eA new method of processing time-integrated coherent Thomson scattering spectra is presented, which provides not only the electron density and temperature but also information about the transient behaviour of the plasma. Therefore, it is an alternative to single-shot Thomson scattering measurements as long as the scattering is coherent. The method is applied to a microwave plasma torch operating in argon or a mixture of argon with hydrogen at atmospheric pressure. Electron densities up to 8 · 10\u3csup\u3e21\u3c/sup\u3e m\u3csup\u3e-3\u3c/sup\u3e (ionization degree above 10\u3csup\u3e-3\u3c/sup\u3e) were observed, which is more than two times higher than presented in earlier works on comparable discharges. Additionally, a parametric study with respect to the argon/hydrogen ratio and the input power was carried out and the results are discussed together with earlier Stark broadening measurements on the same plasma.\u3c/p\u3

Electric field measurements in a kHz-driven He jet - The influence of the gas flow speed

\u3cp\u3eThis report focuses on the dependence of electric field strength in the effluent of a vertically downwards-operated plasma jet freely expanding into room air as a function of the gas flow speed. A 30 kHz AC-driven He jet was used in a coaxial geometry, with an amplitude of 2 kV and gas flow between 700 sccm and 2000 SCCM. The electric field was measured by means of Stark polarization spectroscopy of the He line at 492.19 nm. While the minimum and the maximum measured electric fields remained unchanged, the effect of the gas flow speed is to cause stretching of the measured profile in space - the higher the flow, the longer and less steep the electric field profile. The portion of the effluent in which the electric field was measured showed an increase of electric field with increasing distance from the capillary, for which the probable cause is the contraction of the plasma bullet as it travels through space away from the capillary. There are strong indications that the stretching of the electric field profile with increase in the flow speed is caused by differences in gas mixing as a function of the gas flow speed. The simulated gas composition shows that the amount of air entrained into the gas flow behaves in a similar way to the observed behaviour of the electric field. In addition we have shown that the visible length of the plasma plume is associated with a 0.027 molar fraction of air in the He flow in this configuration, while the maximum electric field measured was associated with a 0.014 molar fraction of air at gas flow rates up to 1500 SCCM (4.9 m s\u3csup\u3e-1\u3c/sup\u3e). At higher flows vortices occur in the effluent of the jet, as seen in Schlieren visualization of the gas flow with and without the discharge.\u3c/p\u3