88 research outputs found
Azimuthal ion movement in HiPIMS plasmas -- Part I: velocity distribution function
Magnetron sputtering discharges feature complex magnetic field configurations
to confine the electrons close to the cathode surface. This magnetic field
configuration gives rise to a strong electron drift in azimuthal direction,
with typical drift velocities on the order of \SI{100}{\kilo\meter\per\second}.
In high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) plasmas, the ions have also
been observed to follow the movement of electrons with velocities of a few
\si{\kilo\meter\per\second}, despite being unmagnetized. In this work, we
report on measurements of the azimuthal ion velocity using spatially resolved
optical emission spectroscopy, allowing for a more direct measurement compared
to experiments performed using mass spectrometry. The azimuthal ion velocities
increase with target distance, peaking at about
\SI{1.55}{\kilo\meter\per\second} for argon ions and
\SI{1.25}{\kilo\meter\per\second} for titanium ions. Titanium neutrals are also
found to follow the azimuthal ion movement which is explained with resonant
charge exchange collisions. The experiments are then compared to a simple
test-particle simulation of the titanium ion movement, yielding good agreement
to the experiments when only considering the momentum transfer from electrons
to ions via Coulomb collisions as the only source of acceleration in azimuthal
direction. Based on these results, we propose this momentum transfer as the
primary source for ion acceleration in azimuthal direction
Concepts and characteristics of the 'COST Reference Microplasma Jet'
Biomedical applications of non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasmas have attracted intense interest in the past few years. Many plasma sources of diverse design have been proposed for these applications, but the relationship between source characteristics and application performance is not well-understood, and indeed many sources are poorly characterized. This circumstance is an impediment to progress in application development. A reference source with well-understood and highly reproducible characteristics may be an important tool in this context. Researchers around the world should be able to compare the characteristics of their own sources and also their results with this device. In this paper, we describe such a reference source, developed from the simple and robust micro-scaled atmospheric pressure plasma jet (μ-APPJ) concept. This development occurred under the auspices of COST Action MP1101 'Biomedical Applications of Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas'. Gas contamination and power measurement are shown to be major causes of irreproducible results in earlier source designs. These problems are resolved in the reference source by refinement of the mechanical and electrical design and by specifying an operating protocol. These measures are shown to be absolutely necessary for reproducible operation. They include the integration of current and voltage probes into the jet. The usual combination of matching unit and power supply is replaced by an integrated LC power coupling circuit and a 5 W single frequency generator. The design specification and operating protocol for the reference source are being made freely available
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Chemical fingerprints of cold physical plasmas – an experimental and computational study using cysteine as tracer compound
Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species released by cold physical plasma are being proposed as effectors in various clinical conditions connected to inflammatory processes. As these plasmas can be tailored in a wide range, models to compare and control their biochemical footprint are desired to infer on the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed effects and to enable the discrimination between different plasma sources. Here, an improved model to trace short-lived reactive species is presented. Using FTIR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and molecular dynamics computational simulation, covalent modifications of cysteine treated with different plasmas were deciphered and the respective product pattern used to generate a fingerprint of each plasma source. Such, our experimental model allows a fast and reliable grading of the chemical potential of plasmas used for medical purposes. Major reaction products were identified to be cysteine sulfonic acid, cystine, and cysteine fragments. Less-abundant products, such as oxidized cystine derivatives or S-nitrosylated cysteines, were unique to different plasma sources or operating conditions. The data collected point at hydroxyl radicals, atomic O, and singlet oxygen as major contributing species that enable an impact on cellular thiol groups when applying cold plasma in vitro or in vivo
Spatially resolved simulation of a radio frequency driven micro atmospheric pressure plasma jet and its effluent
Radio frequency driven plasma jets are frequently employed as efficient
plasma sources for surface modification and other processes at atmospheric
pressure. The radio-frequency driven micro atmospheric pressure plasma jet
(APPJ) is a particular variant of that concept whose geometry allows
direct optical access. In this work, the characteristics of the APPJ
operated with a helium-oxygen mixture and its interaction with a helium
environment are studied by numerical simulation. The density and temperature of
the electrons, as well as the concentration of all reactive species are studied
both in the jet itself and in its effluent. It is found that the effluent is
essentially free of charge carriers but contains a substantial amount of
activated oxygen (O, O and O). The simulation results are
verified by comparison with experimental data
Spectroscopic characterization of atmospheric pressure um-jet plasma source
A radio frequency um-jet plasma source is studied using He/O2 mixture. This
um-jet can be used for different applications as a source of chemical active
species e.g. oxygen atoms, molecular metastables and ozone. Using
absolutely-calibrated optical emission spectroscopy and numerical simulation,
the gas temperature in active plasma region and plasma parameters (electron
density and electron distribution function) are determined. Concentrations of
oxygen atoms and ozone in the plasma channel and in the effluent of the plasma
source are measured using emission and absorption spectroscopy. To interpret
the measured spatial distributions, the steady-state species' concentrations
are calculated using determined plasma parameters and gas temperature. At that
the influence of the surface processes and gas flow regime on the loss of the
active species in the plasma source are discussed. The measured spatial
distributions of oxygen atom and ozone densities are compared with the
simulated ones.Comment: 29 pages, 10 figure
Ozone profiles in the high-latitude stratosphere and lower mesosphere measured by the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS)-II: comparison with other satellite sensors and ozonesondes
A solar occultation sensor, the Improved Limb Atmospheric Spectrometer (ILAS)-II, measured 5890 vertical profiles of ozone concentrations in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere and of other species from January to October 2003. The measurement latitude coverage was 54–71°N and 64–88°S, which is similar to the coverage of ILAS (November 1996 to June 1997). One purpose of the ILAS-II measurements was to continue such high-latitude measurements of ozone and its related chemical species in order to help accurately determine their trends. The present paper assesses the quality of ozone data in the version 1.4 retrieval algorithm, through comparisons with results obtained from comprehensive ozonesonde measurements and four satellite-borne solar occultation sensors. In the Northern Hemisphere (NH), the ILAS-II ozone data agree with the other data within ±10% (in terms of the absolute difference divided by its mean value) at altitudes between 11 and 40 km, with the median coincident ILAS-II profiles being systematically up to 10% higher below 20 km and up to 10% lower between 21 and 40 km after screening possible suspicious retrievals. Above 41 km, the negative bias between the NH ILAS-II ozone data and the other data increases with increasing altitude and reaches 30% at 61–65 km. In the Southern Hemisphere, the ILAS-II ozone data agree with the other data within ±10% in the altitude range of 11–60 km, with the median coincident profiles being on average up to 10% higher below 20 km and up to 10% lower above 20 km. Considering the accuracy of the other data used for this comparative study, the version 1.4 ozone data are suitably used for quantitative analyses in the high-latitude stratosphere in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and in the lower mesosphere in the Southern Hemisphere
UV continuum emission and diagnostics of hydrogen-containing non-equilibrium plasmas
For the first time the emission of the radiative dissociation continuum of
the hydrogen molecule ( electronic
transition) is proposed to be used as a source of information for the
spectroscopic diagnostics of non-equilibrium plasmas. The detailed analysis of
excitation-deactivation kinetics, rate constants of various collisional and
radiative transitions and fitting procedures made it possible to develop two
new methods of diagnostics of: (1) the ground state
vibrational temperature from the relative intensity
distribution, and (2) the rate of electron impact dissociation
(d[\mbox{H_{2}}]/dt)_{\text{diss}} from the absolute intensity of the
continuum. A known method of determination of from relative
intensities of Fulcher- bands was seriously corrected and simplified
due to the revision of transition probabilities and cross sections of
electron impact excitation. General considerations are illustrated
with examples of experiments in pure hydrogen capillary-arc and H+Ar
microwave discharges.Comment: REVTeX, 25 pages + 12 figures + 9 tables. Phys. Rev. E, eprint
replaced because of resubmission to journal after referee's 2nd repor
Reproducibility of `COST Reference Microplasma Jets'
Atmospheric pressure plasmas have been ground-breaking for plasma science and technologies, due to their significant application potential in many fields, including medicinal, biological, and environmental applications. This is predominantly due to their efficient production and delivery of chemically reactive species under ambient conditions. One of the challenges in progressing the field is comparing plasma sources and results across the community and the literature. To address this a reference plasma source was established during the `Biomedical Applications of Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas' EU COST Action MP1101. It is crucial that reference sources are reproducible. Here, we present the reproducibility and variance across multiple sources through examining various characteristics, including: absolute atomic oxygen densities, absolute ozone densities, electrical characteristics, optical emission spectroscopy, temperature measurements, and bactericidal activity. The measurements demonstrate that the tested COST jets are mainly reproducible within the intrinsic uncertainty of each measurement technique
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