Optical and spectroscopic study of a supersonic flowing helium plasma: energy transport in the afterglow

Year: 2020

Authors: Brandi F., Labate L., Rapagnani D., Buompane R., Di Leva A., Gialanella L., Gizzi LA.

Autors Affiliation: Ist Nazl Ott Consiglio Nazl Ric INO CNR, Sede Secondaria Pisa, Intense Laser Irradiat Lab ILIL, Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl INFN, Sez Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy; Univ Perugia, Dipartimento Fis & Geol, Via A Pascoli, I-06123 Perugia, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Perugia, Via A Pascoli, I-06123 Perugia, Italy; Univ Campania L Vanvitelli, Dipartimento Matemat & Fis, Viale Lincoln 5, Caserta, Italy; Univ Napoli Federico II, Dipartimento Fis E Pancini, Via Cinthia Snc, Naples, Italy; Ist Nazl Fis Nucl, Sez Napoli, Via Cinthia Snc, Naples, Italy.

Abstract: Flowing plasma jets are increasingly investigated and used for surface treatments, including biological
matter, and as soft ionization sources for mass spectrometry. They have the characteristic capability to
transport energy from the plasma excitation region to the flowing afterglow, and therefore to a distant
application surface, in a controlled manner. The ability to transport and deposit energy into a specimen
is related to the actual energy transport mechanism. In case of a flowing helium plasma, the energy in
the flowing afterglow may be carried by metastable helium atoms and long-lived helium dimer ions.
In this work a systematic investigation of the optical and spectroscopic characteristics of a supersonic
flowing helium plasma in vacuum and its afterglow as function of the helium gas density is presented.
The experimental data are compared with numerical modeling of the plasma excitation and helium
dimer ion formation supported by a Computational Fluid Dynamic simulation of the helium jet. The
results indicate that the plasma afterglow is effectively due to helium dimer ions recombination via a
three-body reaction.

Journal/Review: SCIENTIFIC REPORTS

Volume: 10 (1)      Pages from: 5087-1  to: 5087-10

More Information: This work received support from the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under Grant Agreement No. 653782-EuPRAXIA, from the MIUR-funded Italian research Network ELI-Italy, and from INFN CSN3-ERNA.
KeyWords: plasma diagnostics, spectroscopy, plasma afterglow
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61988-y

Citations: 6
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