Vacuum Ultraviolet Radiation Emitted from Arc-Jet Plasmas of Argon or Nitrogen

摘要

Vacuum ultraviolet emission in the range from 2000 to 700 A was observed for both argon and nitrogen plasmas, produced by a Gerdien-type arc-jet freely expanding into a vacuum cell. The experimental setup centers about a simple, one-meter, concave grating spectrograph mounted within a tank purged with helium. Other gases were allowed to mix with the flowing plasma so that the physical mechanisms of excitation within the plasma could be studied. Over 50 atomic lines and three band systems were identified in mapping the spectral region. Mechanisms to produce the radiation observed are postulated, and some unexplained phenomena are also discussed. (Author)