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Investigations on Afterglows of Neon Gas Discharges
Author(s) -
Steenhuijsen L. W. G.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
beiträge aus der plasmaphysik
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.531
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1521-3986
pISSN - 0005-8025
DOI - 10.1002/ctpp.19810210502
Subject(s) - afterglow , neon , atomic physics , metastability , spectroscopy , torr , krypton , excitation , chemistry , argon , physics , thermodynamics , gamma ray burst , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics , astronomy
Abstract We report on the experimental and numerical investigations on afterglows of neon gas discharges, which are performed at the Eindhoven University of Technology. The studied gas pressure range extends from 1 to 100 torr, the discharge current from 1 to 100 mA. The densities of the 1 s ‐levels are measured with the help of the selective excitation spectroscopy (fluorescence technique). In this way a great number of decay curves of the 1 s ‐densities have been measured in the afterglow of neon gas discharges. From these curves the diffusion coefficient of the metastable 1 s ‐atoms, the coefficients of atomic collisional transfer between the 1 s 5 ‐ and 1 s 4 ‐level, as well as the three body collision coefficient between metastable 1 s 5 ‐atoms and neon ground state atoms have been determined. Besides these experiments a numerical model of the neon afterglows has been developed. With this model the afterglow phenomena can be simulated and the influence of the particular processes on the whole afterglow can be studied conveniently. Comparison is made between the experimentally and numerically obtained decay curves. For the application of the numerical model a number of starting conditions, such as radial density profiles, gas temperature, (relative) densities of the 1 s ‐levels, have been measured. Results of these measurements are presented. Also with the help of the selective excitation spectroscopy the coefficients of atomic collisional transfer between the 2 p ‐levels have been measured in the afterglow. From these results, together with the measured (relative) intensities of the neon spectral lines in the afterglow the partial recombination coefficients for the 2 p ‐levels were calculated.