Investigation of the glow and contracted discharge plasmas in nitrogen by coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy, optical interferometry, and numerical simulation

The translational temperature in the plasma of glow and contracted discharges is measured using the methods of coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy and optical interferometry. The current density in the discharge is determined by measuring the electron concentration with optical interferometry and emission spectroscopy. The distribution of nitrogen molecules over vibrational and rotational levels in the ground state, the electron energy distribution, and the time dependence of the gas temperature are numerically found based on a model including the homogeneous Boltzmann equation and balance equations for the concentrations of charged and excited particles and for the gas temperature. The dynamics of transition to the quasi-steady-state distribution of nitrogen molecules over vibrational levels is studied. (c) 2005 Pleiades Publishing, Inc.