Formation and electron-ion recombination of N4(+) following photoionization in near-atmospheric pressure N2.

The time dependent behavior of molecular nitrogen ions has been investigated following pulsed photoionization of near atmospheric pressure N(2) using multiphoton laser techniques and kinetic modeling. Multiple fluorescence bands, some unreported previously, with various temporal behaviors were observed after ultraviolet laser photoionization of N(2)(X (1)Sigma(g)). The initial N(2) ionization was generated via resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization with focused radiation in the 275-290 nm range, where several resonant transitions are accessible. The observed optical fluorescence bands appeared to be unique to the near-atmospheric pressure N(2) condition and were shown by the evidence in this work to be the result of collisional formation and recombination of N(4)(+). Measured time dependent fluorescence spectra during and after pulsed laser photoionization of N(2), together with a coupled rate equation model, allowed for the determination of the absolute densities of N(2)(+) and N(4)(+) as these species evolved.

Anomalously high near-wall sheath potential drop in a plasma with nonlocal fast electrons.

It is demonstrated for the first time that the presence of a small number of fast, nonlocal electrons can dramatically change the thickness of and electric field in the near-wall sheath. Even if the density of the nonlocal fast group, , is much less than the density of the bulk electrons, n(b) (n(f) approximately 10(-5) n(b)), the near-wall potential can increase dramatically resulting in a comparable increase in the sheath thickness. Because of this low fractional density, the average energy (electron temperature ) of all electrons is little changed from that of the bulk, yet the near-wall potential drop can increase to tens of T(e)/e. More importantly, due to the nonlocal nature of this group of electrons, the near-wall sheath potential is found to be independent of and is determined only by the energy of the fast group.

Modification of a nonlocal electron energy distribution in a bounded plasma.

It is demonstrated experimentally, in a pulsed discharge, that it is possible to modify the "tail" of a nonlocal electron energy distribution (EED) without significantly changing the electron density and temperature (mean energy). The EED tail is modified by changing the potential of a small portion of the plasma boundary and/or by changing the volume creation rate of electrons with energies in the range of the tail of the EED. The discussed effects are a direct result of the nonlocal nature of the EED and have applications to a number of basic research issues associated with discharges under nonequilibrium conditions. As an example, we discuss the possibility of utilizing these methods to measure electron impact excitation cross sections from the metastable states of atoms, which are difficult to measure by other means. The experiments have been conducted in an argon and argon-nitrogen pulsed rf inductively coupled plasma discharge.