Spectroscopic characteristics of argon plasma produced by multistage pseudospark discharges

A measurement is made of the spectroscopic characteristics of argon plasma produced by multistage pseudospark discharges in a peculiar geometry which has not yet been reported in literature. High electron temperature, high peak current density, and a high degree of ionization are demonstrated in such a device. The population number density of the upper and lower levels of 488.0, 476.6, 514.5, 351.1, and 363.8 nm transitions in ArII and ArIII are measured. The ultraviolet emission characteristics of pure Ar and Ar/He mixture plasmas are compared. An appreciable increase is observed in peak intensities of ArIII lines when nitrogen is added to Ar.<
>