Attachment instability in an externally ionized discharge

1 October 1974

journal article
research article
Published by AIP Publishing in Journal of Applied Physics

Vol. 45 (10) , 4406-4415
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1663065

Abstract

A new type of plasma instability is described in an electron‐beam ionized discharge. This instability occurs in the form of current oscillations in gas mixtures in which the dissociative attachment rate increases strongly with electric field. It has been observed experimentally in He : H₂O 74 : 2 and in He : CO₂ 1 : 1 and 9 : 1 mixtures. A theoretical analysis which describes the onset of instability is presented, and a physical explanation is given. The region of instability in parameter space of ionization source function S and electric field E is presented for certain gas mixtures. The transient phenomena in this type of discharge appear to be controlled by electron attachment, and a theoretical explanation of the observed current overshoot has been provided.

This publication has 11 references indexed in Scilit:

An electron attachment plasma instability
Applied Physics Letters, 1973
Multiple Electron Scattering through a Slab
Physical Review A, 1973
Recombination rate measurements in nitrogen
The Journal of Chemical Physics, 1973
Water Cluster Ions: Formation and Decomposition of Cluster Ions in the Oxygen-Water System
The Journal of Chemical Physics, 1972
Absorbing-Sphere Model for Calculating Ion—Ion Recombination Total Cross Sections
The Journal of Chemical Physics, 1972
Electron-Beam-Controlled Electrical Discharge as a Method of Pumping Large Volumes of CO2 Laser Media at High Pressure
Applied Physics Letters, 1972
Two-body mutual neutralization rates of O₂⁺+ O⁻, NO⁺+ O⁻, and Na⁺+ O⁻obtained with merged beams
Journal of Geophysical Research, 1972
Ion-Ion Mutual Neutralization Cross Sections Measured by a Superimposed Beam Technique. II. $O_{2}^{+}$ + $O_{2}^{-}$ , $O_{2}^{+}$ + ${NO}_{2}^{-}$ , and ${NO}^{+}$ + ${NO}_{2}^{-}$
Physical Review A, 1971
Survey of Negative-Ion—Molecule Reactions in O2, CO2, H2O, CO, and Mixtures of These Gases at High Pressures
The Journal of Chemical Physics, 1966
Energy Per Ion Pair for Charged Particles in Gases
Radiation Research, 1963