Population inversion of hydrogen levels in a supersonic hydrogen--argon plasma jet

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978 · Opt. Spectrosc. (USSR) (Engl. Transl.); (United States)

OSTI ID:6709916

Lukyanov, G A; Nazarov, V V; Pavlova, N O

The conditions for population inversion of hydrogen atomic levels with principal quantum numbers n = 4 and 5 are investigated in the free expansion region of a supersonic hydrogen--argon plasma jet. Data are obtained on the degree of population inversion as a function of the stagnation enthalpy and the amount of hydrogen in the mixture. The maximum inversion values obtained experimentally correspond to an enhancement coefficient of the order of 10/sup -3/ cm/sup -1/. Analysis of the possible mechanisms for populating the atomic hydrogen levels under the experimental conditions indicates that population inversion of levels with n = 4 and 5 is evidently due to processes involving hydrogen molecules and molecular ions, not to collisional--radiative recombination and excitation transfer from argon atoms.

• OSTI ID: 6709916
• Journal Information: Opt. Spectrosc. (USSR) (Engl. Transl.); (United States), Journal Name: Opt. Spectrosc. (USSR) (Engl. Transl.); (United States) Vol. 44:1; ISSN OPSUA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
700105* -- Fusion Energy-- Plasma Research-- Plasma Kinetics-Theoretical-- (-1987)
ARGON
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
ENTHALPY
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
HYDROGEN
NONMETALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA JETS
POPULATION INVERSION
QUANTUM NUMBERS
RARE GASES
SUPERSONIC FLOW
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES