Inference of the degree of dissociation of weakly collisional hydrogen plasmas using collisional-radiative models

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Ahn, Bin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Ahn, Bin
author_facet Ahn, Bin
contents A new analysis technique for the inference of degree of dissociation of weakly collisional hydrogen plasmas was developed and tested with an experiment. Neutrals in low temperature plasmas are critical to a wide range of plasma-based technologies, and thus, it is important to investigate their properties. The most important physical parameter for neutrals in hydrogen plasmas is the degree of dissociation, and the technique for its inference was developed in this work. To improve the accuracy of the analysis, the collisional-radiative models for hydrogen atom and molecule were constructed and modified to handle bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution and radiation trapping effect. An additional analysis of Fulcher-alpha transitions was conducted to obtain gas temperature and ground vibrational temperature from rotational-vibrational distribution of excited molecules. The technique involves multiple steps to generate calculated excited state distributions from experimental data, which are then compared to measured distributions to infer the most probable degree of dissociation. To test and verify the analysis technique, experiments were conducted. Hydrogen plasmas were generated in a large cylindrical chamber named MAXIMUS, by DC discharge with a hot cathode. Various diagnostics including the optical emission and absorption spectroscopy, and the Langmuir probe measurement were performed to obtain spectra and electron parameters. The degrees of dissociation for the generated plasmas were inferred, based on the measured data and the analysis technique. Several problems and implications were discussed and improvement strategies were outlined. Overall, the analysis technique developed in this work is expected to play a valuable role in future diagnostic and analytical studies of hydrogen plasmas.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2505_00731
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Inference of the degree of dissociation of weakly collisional hydrogen plasmas using collisional-radiative models
Ahn, Bin
Plasma Physics
A new analysis technique for the inference of degree of dissociation of weakly collisional hydrogen plasmas was developed and tested with an experiment. Neutrals in low temperature plasmas are critical to a wide range of plasma-based technologies, and thus, it is important to investigate their properties. The most important physical parameter for neutrals in hydrogen plasmas is the degree of dissociation, and the technique for its inference was developed in this work. To improve the accuracy of the analysis, the collisional-radiative models for hydrogen atom and molecule were constructed and modified to handle bi-Maxwellian electron energy distribution and radiation trapping effect. An additional analysis of Fulcher-alpha transitions was conducted to obtain gas temperature and ground vibrational temperature from rotational-vibrational distribution of excited molecules. The technique involves multiple steps to generate calculated excited state distributions from experimental data, which are then compared to measured distributions to infer the most probable degree of dissociation. To test and verify the analysis technique, experiments were conducted. Hydrogen plasmas were generated in a large cylindrical chamber named MAXIMUS, by DC discharge with a hot cathode. Various diagnostics including the optical emission and absorption spectroscopy, and the Langmuir probe measurement were performed to obtain spectra and electron parameters. The degrees of dissociation for the generated plasmas were inferred, based on the measured data and the analysis technique. Several problems and implications were discussed and improvement strategies were outlined. Overall, the analysis technique developed in this work is expected to play a valuable role in future diagnostic and analytical studies of hydrogen plasmas.
title Inference of the degree of dissociation of weakly collisional hydrogen plasmas using collisional-radiative models
topic Plasma Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.00731