Spatially and temporally resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy of a nanosecond Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet*

Nanosecond Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet (ns-APPJ) consists of two distinct phases, fast breakdown at high electric fields and a quasi-DC phase at lower permanent electric field and high electron density, as was shown recently by Picosecond Electric-Field Induced Second Harmonic (EFISH) measurements [1,2]. These phases can be controlled independently in order to optimize the production of excited species [2, 3].

In this work the ns-APPJ operated in pure nitrogen and N2:CO2 mixtures is studied by spatially and temporally resolved Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES). To examine the discharge structure and its development, the emission of the First Negative System and the Second Positive System of nitrogen is spectrally resolved. The emission patterns are compared with the excited species densities inferred from a Particle-in-Cell/Monte Carlo Collisions simulation. Good agreement is found throughout.

 

[1] N. D. Lepikhin, D. Luggenhölscher and U. Czarnetzki 2020 J. Phys. D: Applied Physics 54 (055201)

[2] J. Kuhfeld, N. D. Lepikhin, D. Luggenhölscher and U. Czarnetzki 2021 J. Phys. D: Applied Physics 54 (305204)

[3] J. Kuhfeld, D. Luggenhölscher and U. Czarnetzki 2021 J. Phys. D: Applied Physics 54 (305205)