Measurements of fireball onset
- Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States); Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States)
Laser-based measurements of the characteristic features of fireball onset and stabilization in response to a stepped voltage applied to an anode immersed in a low pressure (100 mTorr) helium afterglow are reported. These include spatial and temporal evolution of metastable species, electron density, and electric field magnitude as measured by planar laser induced fluorescence, laser-collision induced fluorescence, and laser-induced fluorescence-dip spectroscopy, respectively. These measurements are found to be in qualitative agreement with recent particle-in-cell simulations and theoretical models. The measurements validate the simulations and models in which fireball onset was predicted to follow from the trapping of electrons born from electron impact ionization within a potential well created by a buildup of ions in the sheath. The experimental measurements also demonstrate transient features following the onset that were not present in previous simulations. New simulation results are presented which demonstrate that these features are associated with the abruptness of the voltage step used to initiate fireball onset. In conclusion, an abrupt step in the anode bias causes rapid displacement of ions and an associated plasma potential response following the sheath and fireball expansion.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000; AC04-94SL85000; AC05-06OR23100
- OSTI ID:
- 1464196
- Alternate ID(s):
- OSTI ID: 1432906
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-2018-2030J; 666327
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 25, Issue 4; ISSN 1070-664X
- Publisher:
- American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Web of Science
Kinetic simulation of a low-pressure helium discharge with comparison to experimental measurements
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journal | May 2019 |
Turing patterns on a plasma-liquid interface
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journal | October 2019 |
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