DEVELOPMENT OF METHODS FOR QUANTITATIVE SPECTROSCOPIC TEMPERATURE DETERMINATION OF PLASMAS

Technical Report · Sat Jun 30 04:00:00 EDT 1962

OSTI ID:4682599

Kusch, J J

Three ways to obtain plasmas with temperatures up to 100,000 deg K were tested. The first approach--pulsing an arc by high current-was not as successful as desired because confinement breaks down. The second experiment was a linear pinch. In the center of the discharge temperatures higher than 80,000 deg K could be measured, the radiation being emitted from thermally excited atoms. The third way involved the magnetic compression of a preionized discharge in helium by an outer magnetic field. Preionization was effected by use of a pulsed discharge fed by a capacitor bank. Plasma parameters were determined by quantitative spectroscopic methods. Distributions of plasma parameters in space and time could be investigated by time resolved spectroscopy. Electron density rises to more than 10/sup 18/ cm/sup -3/; temperature was found to be 70,000 deg K at most. Several methods to determine plasma parameters yielded the same results, thus proving the plasma to be in local thermodynamic equilibrium. Radiation was found to be emitted from optically thin layers. With more energy stored in the capacitor bank feeding the magnetic field and with more effective preionization, a further increase in temperature may be expected. (auth)

• Research Organization: Kiel. Universitat. Institut fur Experimentelle Physik
• NSA Number: NSA-17-024558
• OSTI ID: 4682599
• Report Number(s): ARL-62-460
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ATOMS
BREAKDOWN
CAPACITORS
CONFINEMENT
CURRENTS
DENSITY
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC ARCS
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRONS
EMISSION
ENERGY
EXCITATION
HELIUM
HIGH TEMPERATURE
INSTRUMENTS
IONIZATION
LAYERS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MEASURED VALUES
PERFORMANCE
PHYSICS
PINCH
PLASMA
PULSES
RADIATIONS
SPECTROSCOPY
STORAGE
TEMPERATURE
TESTING
THERMODYNAMICS