Time-Resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy Diagnosis of CO2 Laser-Produced SnO2 Plasma

The spectral emission and plasma parameters of SnO_2 plasmas have been investigated.A planar ceramic SnO_2 target was irradiated by a CO2 laser with a full width at half maximum of 80 ns.The temporal behavior of the specific emission lines from the SnO_2 plasma was characterized.The intensities of Sn I and Sn II lines first increased,and then decreased with the delay time.The results also showed a faster decay of Sn I atoms than that of Sn II ionic species.The temporal evolutions of the SnO_2 plasma parameters(electron temperature and density) were deduced.The measured temperature and density of SnO_2 plasma are 4.38 eV to0.5 eV and 11.38×10~(17) cm~(-3) to 1.1×10~(17) cm~(-3),for delay times between 0.1 μs and 2.2 μs.We also investigated the effect of the laser pulse energy on SnO_2 plasma.     

Experimental investigation on the evolution of plasma properties in the discharge channel of a pulsed plasma thruster

Pulsed plasma thrusters(PPTs) are an attractive form of micro-thrusters due to advantages such as their compactness and lightweight design compared to other electric propulsion systems.Experimental investigations on their plasma properties are beneficial in clarifying the complex process of plasma evolution during the micro-second pulse discharge of a PPT. In this work, the multi-dimensional evolutions of the light intensity of the PPT plasma with wavelength, time, and position were identified. The plasma pressure was obtained using an iterative process with composition calculations. The results show that significant ion recombination occurred in the discharge channel since the line intensities of CII, CIII, CIV, and FII decreased and those of CI and FI increased as the plasma moved downstream. At the center of the discharge channel, the electron temperature and electron density were in the order of 10 000 K and 10~(17) cm~(-3),respectively. These had maximum values of 13 750 K and 2.3?×?10~(17) cm~(-3) and the maximum temperature occurred during the first half-cycle while the maximum number density was measured during the second half-cycle. The estimated plasma pressure was in the order of 10~5 Pa and exhibited a maximum value of 2.69?×?10~5 Pa.     

Spectral characteristic of laser-induced plasma in soil

The spectral characteristic of laser-induced plasma in soil was studied in this work, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy was used to analyze the spectral characteristic of plasma under the condition of different time delays and irradiances. Moreover, the time evolution characteristics of plasma temperature and electron density were discussed. Within the time delay range of 0-5 μs,the spectral intensity of the characteristic lines of Si I: 288.158 nm, Ti I: 336.126 nm, Al I:394.400 nm and Fe I: 438.354 nm of the four main elements in two kinds of national standard soil decayed exponentially with time. The average lifetime of the spectral lines was nearly 1.56 μs. Under the condition of different time delays, the spectral intensity of Pb I: 405.78 nm in soil increased linearly with laser energy. However, the slope between the spectral intensity and laser energy decreased exponentially with the increase in time delay, from 4.91 to 0.99 during 0-5 μs. The plasma temperature was calculated by the Boltzmann plot method and the electron density was obtained by inversion of the full width at half maximum of the spectrum. The plasma temperature decreased from 8900 K to 7800 K and the electron density decreased from 1.5 × 10~(17) cm~(-3) to 7.8 × 10~(16) cm~(-3) in the range of 0-5 μs.     

High-energy-density electron beam generation in ultra intense laser-plasma interaction

By using a two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulation,we demonstrate a scheme for highenergy-density electron beam generation by irradiating an ultra intense laser pulse onto an aluminum(Al) target.With the laser having a peak intensity of 4?×?1023W cm~(-2),a high quality electron beam with a maximum density of 117 ncand a kinetic energy density up to8.79?×?1018J m~(-3) is generated.The temperature of the electron beam can be 416 Me V,and the beam divergence is only 7.25°.As the laser peak intensity increases(e.g.,1024 W cm~(-2)),both the beam energy density(3.56?×?1019J m~(-3)) and the temperature(545 Me V) are increased,and the beam collimation is well controlled.The maximum density of the electron beam can even reach 180 nc.Such beams should have potential applications in the areas of antiparticle generation,laboratory astrophysics,etc.     

Spectroscopic Measurement of Shock Waves in an Arcjet Plasma Expanding Through a Conical Nozzle

A diamond-shaped shock wave was created in a helium arcjet plasma. Visi- ble/ultraviolet emission spectroscopy was used to investigate the condition for the formation of stable shocks and to determine characteristics of the plasma. Dependence of the position of the shock front on the gas pressure in the expansion region was investigated. It was found that the shock wave arises from the collision of plasma particles and residual neutral atoms in that region. Continuum and line spectra of neutral helium were measured, from which the electron temper- atures were derived. The electron density was deduced from the Inglis-Teller limit of the He I 2p 3 P-3d 3 D series. The temperature and density were found to have almost constant values of 0.2 eV and 8.5×10 13 cm 3 , respectively, across the shock front.     

Oxide Coated Cathode Plasma Source of Linear Magnetized Plasma Device

Plasma source is the most important part of the laboratory plasma platform for fundamental plasma experimental research. Barium oxide coated cathode plasma source is well recognized as an effective technique due to its high electron emission current. An indirectly heated oxide coated cathode plasma source has been constructed on a linear magnetized plasma device. The electron emission current density can reach 2 A/cm 2 to 6 A/cm ² in pulsed mode within pulse length 5–20 ms. A 10 cm diameter, 2 m long plasma column with density 10 ¹⁸ m ⁻³ to 10 ¹⁹ m ³ and electron temperature T_e ≈ 3–7 eV is produced. The spatial uniformity of the emission ability is less than 4% and the discharge reproducibility is better than 97%. With a wide range of the plasma parameters, this kind of plasma source provides great flexibility for many basic plasma investigations. The detail of construction and initial characterization of oxide coated cathode are described in this paper.     

Estimation of plasma density perturbation from dusty plasma injection by laser irradiation on tungsten target in DiPS

To investigate the interaction of dusty plasma with magnetized plasmas at divertor plasma simulator, radial profiles of plasma density(ne) and electron temperature were measured in terms of plasma discharge currents and magnetic flux intensity by using a fast scanning probes system with triple tips. Dusty plasma with dusts(a generation rate of 3 μg s~(-1) and a size of 1–10 μm)was produced via interactions between a high-power laser beam and a full tungsten target. As ne increases, the scale of the effects of dusty plasma injection on magnetized plasmas was decreased. Also, the duration of transient fluctuation was reduced. For numerical estimation of plasma density perturbation due to dusty plasma injection, the result was ~10% at a core region of the magnetized plasma with n_e of(2–5)×10~(11) cm~(-3) at steady state condition.     

15 TW激光与氮气作用产生稳定电子束的实验研究

利用15 TW激光脉冲,系统研究了基于电离化注入的激光尾波场加速。实验中,研究了等离子体密度、相互作用位置、激光脉宽以及激光能量对电子束的电荷量、发散角、指向性、能量以及产生概率的影响。将约400 mJ、25 fs的激光脉冲聚焦在喷嘴前沿,等离子体密度约9×10¹⁸ cm^-3时,电子的产生概率高达100%,获得了水平（竖直）发散角（6.5±0.5） mrad（（5.3±0.3） mrad）、水平（竖直）指向稳定性±1.2 mrad （±0.7 mrad）、峰值能量（135±8） MeV和电荷量（13.5±2.0） pC（＞50 MeV）的稳定电子束,为其应用奠定了基础。     

Characteristics of plasma in a novel laser-assisted pulsed plasma thruster

A novel laser-assisted pulsed plasma thruster (LA-PPT) is proposed as an electric propulsion thruster, which separates laser ablation and electromagnetic acceleration. It aims for a higher specific impulse than that achieved with conventional LA-PPTs. Owing to the short-time discharge and the novel configuration, the physical mechanism of the discharge is unclear. Time and spatial-resolved optical emission spectroscopy was applied to investigate the variation in the plasma properties in the thruster discharge channel. The plasma species, electron temperature, and electron density were obtained and discussed. Our investigation revealed that there were H_α, H_β, H_γ, H_ε atoms, C I, C II, C III, C IV, Cl I, Cl II particles, and a small amount of CH, C₃, C₂, H₂ neutral molecular groups in the plasma. The electron temperature of the discharge channel of the thruster was within 0.6–4.9 eV, and the electron density was within (1.1–3.0) $\times $ 10¹⁸ cm⁻³, which shows that the optical emission spectroscopy method is to measure the electron excitation temperature and electron density in heavy particles. But the Langmuir probe method is to measure the temperature and density of free electrons. The use of laser instead of spark plug as the ignition mode significantly changed the plasma distribution in the discharge channel. Unlike the conventional PPT, which has high electron density near the thruster surface, LA-PPT showed relatively large electron density at the thruster outlet, which increased the thruster specific impulse. In addition, the change in the ignition mode enabled the electron density in the LA-PPT discharge channel to be higher than that in the conventional PPT. This proves that the ignition mode with laser replacing the spark plug effectively optimised the PPT performance.     

A comparison of emissive and cold floating probe techniques for electric potential measurements in rf inductive discharge

A cold floating probe method was compared with the emissive floating probe method in terms of a low-pressure radio-frequency inductive discharge. The dependences of difference between the plasma potential and the floating potential on the electron temperature 1–8 eV, plasma density 10⁹ –10¹² cm⁻³ and magnetic field 100–650 G were obtained. It was demonstrated that the difference between the potentials that obtained by these two methods can differ significantly from the expected value of 5.2 kT_e/e for argon.     

Development of a helicon-wave excited plasma facility with high magnetic field for plasma-wall interactions studies

The high magnetic field helicon experiment system is a helicon wave plasma(HWP)source device in a high axial magnetic field(B_0)developed for plasma–wall interactions studies for fusion reactors.This HWP was realized at low pressure(5?×?10~(-3)?-?10 Pa)and a RF(radio frequency,13.56 MHz)power(maximum power of 2 k W)using an internal right helical antenna(5 cm in diameter by 18 cm long)with a maximum B_0of 6300 G.Ar HWP with electron density~10~(18)–10~(20)m~(-3)and electron temperature~4–7 e V was produced at high B_0 of 5100 G,with an RF power of 1500 W.Maximum Ar~+ion flux of 7.8?×?10~(23)m~(-2)s~(-1)with a bright blue core plasma was obtained at a high B_0 of 2700 G and an RF power of 1500 W without bias.Plasma energy and mass spectrometer studies indicate that Ar~+ion-beams of 40.1 eV are formed,which are supersonic(~3.1c_s).The effect of Ar HWP discharge cleaning on the wall conditioning are investigated by using the mass spectrometry.And the consequent plasma parameters will result in favorable wall conditioning with a removal rate of 1.1?×?10~(24)N_2/m~2 h.     

电子辐照条件下高纯铁中位错环演化的多尺度模拟

辐照诱导材料微观结构演化导致的材料力学性能降级或尺寸不稳定性是限制反应堆安全与经济性的关键因素之一。本文基于速率理论建立了辐照诱导材料微观结构演化的物理模型,并开发了模拟程序Radieff。采用分子动力学计算了高纯铁中缺陷的形成能、结合能、迁移能以及间隙原子位错环的构型,在此基础上模拟了电子辐照诱导高纯铁内位错环的演化过程,并与实验结果进行了对比。基于分子动力学的计算结果表明,当间隙原子团簇包含3个间隙原子时,团簇的排列方式为〈110〉构型,间隙原子团簇包含4个以上间隙原子时,团簇排列方式变为〈111〉构型。此外基于Radieff研究了400~600K温度范围内,损伤速率为1.5×10-4 dpa/s电子辐照条件下,位错密度对位错环演化的影响,位错密度对位错环数密度及其平均尺寸的影响取决于位错以及间隙原子团簇对间隙原子的阱强度;在464K和550K温度下辐照,位错环数密度及其平均尺寸分别在位错密度增加到1011 cm-2和1010 cm-2后急剧减小,这是由于此时位错对间隙原子的阱强度会大于间隙原子团簇对间隙原子的阱强度。     

Plasma effects on the bacteria Escherichia coli via two evaluation methods

The degradation of?Escherichia coli?bacteria?by treatment with?cold,?weakly ionised, highly dissociated oxygen plasma,?with?an?electron temperature of 3 e V, a?plasma density of 8?×?10~(15)m~(-3) and a?neutral oxygen atom density of 3.5?×?1021m~(-3) was studied. To determine the ‘real' plasma effects,?two methods were used for evaluation and determination, as well as a comparison of the number of?bacteria that had?survived: the standard plate count technique(PCT) and?advanced fluorescence-activated cell sorting(FACS). Bacteria were deposited onto glass substrates and kept below 50 °C during the experiments with oxygen plasma. The results showed that the?bacteria had?fully degraded after about 2 min of plasma treatment, depending slightly on the amount of bacteria that had been?deposited on the substrates. The very?precise determination of the O flux on?the substrates and the two-method comparison allowed for the determination of the critical dose of oxygen atoms required for the destruction of a bacterial cell wall—about 6?×?10~(24)m~(-2)—as well as deactivation of the substrates—about 8?×?1025m~(-2).These results were taken in order to discuss other results obtained by comparable studies and scientific method?evaluations in the determination of plasma effects on bacteria.     

Measurement ofHe2* density with an auxiliary measuring electrode in atmospheric pressure plasma jet

In this study, the density of metastable He₂* in an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet operating in helium with 0.001% nitrogen has been measured using an auxiliary measuring electrode technique. In the glow discharge mode, waveforms from two grounding electrodes, including one main discharge electrode and one auxiliary electrode, are captured. The isolated current peak formed by Penning ionization in waveforms from the auxiliary measuring electrode is identified to calculate the density of metastable He₂*. In our discharge environment, the helium metastable densities along the jet axis direction are between 2.26× 10¹³ and 1.74× 10¹³ cm^-3, which is in good agreement with the results measured by other techniques. This measurement technique can be conveniently applied to the diagnosis of metastableHe₂* in an atmospheric-pressure plasma jet array.     

Diagnosing the Fine Structure of Electron Energy Within the ECRIT Ion Source

The ion source of the electron cyclotron resonance ion thruster(ECRIT) extracts ions from its ECR plasma to generate thrust, and has the property of low gas consumption(2 sccm,standard-state cubic centimeter per minute) and high durability. Due to the indispensable effects of the primary electron in gas discharge, it is important to experimentally clarify the electron energy structure within the ion source of the ECRIT through analyzing the electron energy distribution function(EEDF) of the plasma inside the thruster. In this article the Langmuir probe diagnosing method was used to diagnose the EEDF, from which the effective electron temperature, plasma density and the electron energy probability function(EEPF) were deduced. The experimental results show that the magnetic field influences the curves of EEDF and EEPF and make the effective plasma parameter nonuniform. The diagnosed electron temperature and density from sample points increased from 4 eV/2×10~(16)m~(-3) to 10 eV/4×10~(16)m(-3) with increasing distances from both the axis and the screen grid of the ion source. Electron temperature and density peaking near the wall coincided with the discharge process. However, a double Maxwellian electron distribution was unexpectedly observed at the position near the axis of the ion source and about 30 mm from the screen grid. Besides, the double Maxwellian electron distribution was more likely to emerge at high power and a low gas flow rate. These phenomena were believed to relate to the arrangements of the gas inlets and the magnetic field where the double Maxwellian electron distribution exits. The results of this research may enhance the understanding of the plasma generation process in the ion source of this type and help to improve its performance.     

Effect of N_2 and O_2 on OH radical production in an atmospheric helium microwave plasma jet

UV-pulsed laser cavity ringdown spectroscopy of the hydroxyl radical OH(A–X)(0–0)band in the wavelength range of 306–310 nm was employed to determine absolute number densities of OH in the atmospheric helium plasma jets generated by a 2.45 GHz microwave plasma source.The effect of the addition of molecular gases N_2 and O_2 to He plasma jets on OH generation was studied.Optical emission spectroscopy was simultaneously employed to monitor reactive plasma species.Stark broadening of the hydrogen Balmer emission line(H_β)was used to estimate the electron density nein the jets.For both He/N_2 and He/O_2 jets, newas estimated to be on the order of 10~(15)cm~(-3).The effects of plasma power and gas flow rate were also studied.With increase in N_2 and O_2 flow rates, netended to decrease.Gas temperature in the He/O_2 plasma jets was elevated compared to the temperatures in the pure He and He/N_2 plasma jets.The highest OH densities in the He/N_2 and He/O_2 plasma jets were determined to be 1.0?×10~(16)molecules/cm~3 at x?=?4 mm(from the jet orifice)and 1.8?×?10~(16)molecules/cm~3 at x=3 mm, respectively.Electron impact dissociation of water and water ion dissociative recombination were the dominant reaction pathways, respectively, for OH formation within the jet column and in the downstream and far downstream regions.The presence of strong emissions of the N_2~+ bands in both He/N_2 and He/O_2 plasma jets, as against the absence of the N_2~+ emissions in the Ar plasma jets, suggests that the Penning ionization process is a key reaction channel leading to the formation of N_2~+ in these He plasma jets.     

Inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus by the synergistic action of charged and reactive plasma particles

In this paper, a low-pressure capacitively coupled plasma discharge sustained in an argonoxygen mixture was studied in order to evaluate its properties in terms of inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus. The plasma parameters as electron temperature and plasma density were measured by the Langmuir probe (N_e ≈ 10¹⁵ m⁻³, T_e ≈ 1.5 eV), while the neutral atom density was in the range of 10²¹ m⁻³. In the plasma phase, oxygen radicals were taken as reference of the reactive species with antimicrobial activity, and oxygen spectral lines, over a range of plasma process parameters, were investigated by the optical emission spectroscopy. Optimal plasma conditions were found, and a count reduction of 4 log in a few minutes of the bacterium proves the potentiality of an industrial grade plasma reactor as a sterilization agent.     

High Density Plasma Heating by EC-Waves Injected from the High-Field Side for Mode Conversion to Electron Bernstein Waves in LHD

To realize an excitation of electron Bernstein waves (EBW) via mode conversion from X-mode waves injected from the high magnetic field side (HFS), new inner-vessel mirrors were installed close to a helical coil in the large helical device (LHD). 77 GHz electron cyclotron (EC) wave beams injected from an existing EC-wave injection system toward the new mirror are reflected on the mirror so that the beams are injected to plasmas from HFS. Evident increases in the electron temperature at the plasma core region and the plasma stored energy were observed by the HFS beam injection to the plasmas with the line-average electron density of 7.5×10 19 m 3 , which is slightly higher than the plasma cut-off density of 77 GHz EC-waves, 7.35×10 19 m 3 . The heating efficiency evaluated from the changes in the time derivative of the plasma stored energy reached ～70%. Although so far it is not clear which is the main cause of the heating effect, the mode-converted EBW or the X-mode wave itself injected from the HFS, an effective heating of high-density plasma over the plasma cut-off of EC-wave was successfully demonstrated.     

Estimation of plasma parameters in the process of micro-scale powder plastic and characteristics of its products

The temperature and density of plasma jets were estimated with a Boltzmann plot and Stark broadening of Ar I (696.54 nm) lines by optical emission spectroscopy (OES) in the process of plasma plastic, and the morphology and microstructure of tungsten (W) powders were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray Diffraction (XRD), respectively. The results show that the assumption of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) was invalid at the end of the plasma jets, and earlier than this after the injection of tungsten powder. The temperature and electron density of the plasma jets were up to about T=6797 K with Q_c=50 slpm and n_e=1.05×10¹⁶ cm⁻³ with Q_s=115 slpm at Z=60 mm, respectively, and both dropped rapidly with the injected tungsten powders of 20 μm. After the plasma plastic process, the spherical tungsten powders were prepared and there were some satellite particles on the surface of the spherical products. The tungsten powders were both composed of a single equilibrium α-W phase with a body centered cubic (bbc) crystal structure before and after plasma treatment.     

Optical path design of phase contrast imaging on HL-2A tokamak

A phase contrast imaging(PCI) diagnostic has recently been developed on HL-2 A tokamak. It can diagnose plasma density fluctuations with maximum wave number of 15 cm~(-1) and wave number resolution of 2 cm~(-1). The time resolution reaches 2 μs. A 10.6 μm CO_2 laser is expanded to a beam with a diameter of 30 mm and injected into the plasma as an incident beam,injecting into plasma. The emerging scattered and unscattered beams are contrasted by a phase plate. The ideas of optical path design are presented in this paper, together with the parameters of the main optical components. The whole optical path of PCI is not only carefully designed, but also constructed on HL-2 A. First calibration results show the ability of this system to catch plasma turbulence in a wide frequency domain.