Interferograms of a cathode spot plasma obtained with a picosecond laser

Author

Batrakov, Alexander ; Vogel, Nadja ; Popov, Sergey ; Proskurovsky, Dmitry ; Kudimov, Denis ; Nikitine, Dmitry

Author_Institution

Inst. of High-Current Electron., Acad. of Sci., Tomsk, Russia

Volume

30

Issue

1

fYear

2002

fDate

2/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

106

Lastpage

107

Abstract

Cathode spot plasmas as well as "plasma balls"-moving dense plasma blocks in vacuum arcs-were investigated by laser interferometry and absorption photography with high spatial (1.2 μm) and temporal (100 ps) resolution. The discharge was initiated between a needle-type cathode and plane anode with a cathode-anode distance of a few millimeters. The duration of the discharges was about 10 ms and the current up to 100 A. Picosecond interferometry yielded spatial-temporal electron density distributions in the arc phase of the cathode spot. An absolute electron density up to 2×10²⁶ m^-3 and plasma temperature about 1 eV in narrow plasma jets with a diameter about 5 μm were estimated

Keywords

light interferometry; photographic applications; plasma diagnostics; 1 eV; 10 ms; 100 A; Picosecond interferometry; absolute electron density; absorption photography; arc phase; cathode spot; cathode spot plasma; cathode spot plasmas; cathode-anode distance; dense plasma blocks; discharge current; discharge duration; discharge initiated; high spatial resolution; interferograms; laser interferometry; narrow plasma jets; needle-type cathode; picosecond laser; plane anode; plasma balls; plasma jet diameter; plasma temperature; pulsed laser diagnostics; shadowgraphy; spatial-temporal electron density distributions; temporal resolution; vacuum arcs; Absorption; Anodes; Cathodes; Electrons; Interferometry; Photography; Plasma density; Plasma temperature; Spatial resolution; Vacuum arcs;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Plasma Science, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0093-3813

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TPS.2002.1003946

Filename

1003946