Microwave N{sub 2}-Ar plasma torch. I. Modeling

Journal Article · Sat Jan 15 04:00:00 EST 2011 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3532055· OSTI ID:21538044

Henriques, J; Tatarova, E; Ferreira, C M ^[1]

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1. Instituto de Plasmas e Fusao Nuclear-Laboratorio Associado, Instituto Superior Tecnico, 1049-001 Lisboa (Portugal)

The spatial structure of a microwave plasma torch driven by an azimuthally symmetric surface wave operating in a N{sub 2}-Ar mixture at atmospheric pressure is investigated. A two-dimensional (2D) self-consistent theoretical model is developed to investigate the entire spatial structure of the source, including the discharge zone, sustained by the field of the surface TM{sub 00} mode, and the postdischarge plasma. Maxwell's equations, the rate balance equations for the most important excited species - vibrationally and electronically excited states, ions and nitrogen atoms N({sup 4}S) - and the Boltzmann equation for electrons are consistently solved. Model calculations of the 2D spatial distributions of species of interest such as charged particles (electrons and positive ions), N{sub 2}({Chi} {sup 1{Sigma}}{sub g}{sup +},v) vibrationally excited molecules, N{sub 2}(A {sup 3{Sigma}}{sub u}{sup +}) metastable molecules, and N({sup 4}S) ground state atoms are presented and discussed.

• OSTI ID: 21538044
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 109; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ARGON
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE
BOLTZMANN EQUATION
CATIONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DISPERSIONS
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
EQUATIONS
EXCITED STATES
FERMIONS
FLUIDS
GASES
HIGH-FREQUENCY DISCHARGES
INSTABILITY
INTEGRO-DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
IONS
KINETIC EQUATIONS
LEPTONS
MAXWELL EQUATIONS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MIXTURES
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PLASMA
PLASMA INSTABILITY
RADIATIONS
RARE GASES
SIMULATION
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
SURFACES
SYMMETRY
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
WAVE PROPAGATION