Effect of magnetic field on the propagation of Ar atmosph eric pressure nonthermal plasma jets

Summary form only given. As an emerging source, atmospheric pressure nonthermal plasma jets (APNPJs) have held remarkable promise owing to its wide applications. At low pressure (~0.1 Pa), magnetic field i s always introduced into plasmas to affect the discharge current. However, little works have been reported on the interaction between magnetic field and atmospheric pressure plasmas. In this work, effect of magnetic field on the propagation of Ar APNPJs is investigated through a single-electrode configuration by use of AC power. In order to avoid the interference of the electric field by the permanent magnet, a same size iron is set in the electric field to replace the permanent magnet when there´s no magnetic field. We compare the electrical characteristic with/without iron and with/without magnetic field. With the magnetic field, the discharge current is clearly increased, however, with and without the iron, the discharge current show slight difference. It is believed that the enhancement of ionization in the curved and lengthened electron path caused by Lorentz force is the main reason.