Electron-beam produced air plasma: rf and optical diagnostics

Summary form only given. Diagnostics and results for experiments with a 100-keV electron beam used to ionize air are presented. Measurements were conducted with air at pressures in the range of 1 mtorr to 760 torr. A 1-mill aluminum transmission window separates the vacuum of the electron source from the air test cell. RF diagnostics comprise a system for simultaneous amplitude and phase measurement at 10 GHz during a 1-ms electron-beam pulse. Optical diagnostics utilized a Whites cell for ozone detection and a spectrometer to monitor N₂ ⁺ and N₄ ⁺ emissions. These emissions help to quantify the electron flux that emerges from the transmission window and at other locations in the test cell