Effects of transverse magnetic field on laser-produced carbon plasma plume in nitrogen atmosphere

By adopting a time-resolved optical emission spectrometry, we have investigated the effects of transverse magnetic field on C2 and CN molecules produced by laser ablation of a graphite target in nitrogen atmosphere. We found that the spectroscopic temperatures of both species, obtained via simulation of the optical emission spectra, as well as their emission intensities from the electronically excited states increased significantly in the presence of a magnetic field. The cyclotron radii and frequencies for electrons and ions were estimated to explain the increase in the number of collisions in the laser-produced carbon plasma plume under a magnetic field.