Photodetachment technique for measuring H− velocities in a hydrogen plasma

Abstract
This article reports work in progress on laser diagnostics of negative‐ion transport velocity in H‐ion volume sources. The plasma dynamics after the laser shot is discussed in detail, and the effect of the potential perturbation on the H velocities is evaluated. A method of evaluation of the H transport velocity from single‐laser‐beam photodetachment experiments is proposed. To substantiate this method, two‐laser‐beam photodetachment experiments have been effected. The velocities thus determined are pressure dependent; they correspond to H energies in the range 0.23–0.08 eV.