TIME-DEPENDENT KINETICS OF ELECTRONS AND 3P(5) 4S LEVELS OF ARGON IN HIGH-FREQUENCY PLASMAS

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 1994

Authors

P. A. Sá (Author) FEUP; J. Loureiro (Author) Other; C. M. Ferreira (Author) Other

Journal

Title: Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics

Vol. 27

Pages: 1171-1183

ISSN: 0022-3727

Publisher: Institute of Physics Publishing

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 9 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 11 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Natural sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-001-JYR

DOI: 10.1088/0022-3727/27/6/015

Abstract (EN): We present a theoretical investigation of the time-dependence of the electron energy distribution function and the populations in the 3p5 4s levels of argon under the action of a harmonic electric field, assuming the electron density is constant with time. The analysis is based on the solutions to the time-dependent Boltzmann equation and the system of rate balance equations for the populations in the 3p5 4s levels. It is shown that the results of this temporal analysis may be explained in terms of the characteristic relaxation frequencies for electron-neutral momentum transfer, electron energy transfer, and for the relaxation of each 3p5 4s level. The assumption of time-invariance of electron density is discussed and analysed. The present theory covers a very broad range of field frequencies, from the microwave case down to frequencies of congruent-to 100 KHz.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 13