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

Journal Article · Sat Jan 15 00:00:00 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, Vol. 109, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3532055; (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

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