Description and analysis of a vacuum ultraviolet atomic line source

Area of Science:

• Atomic Physics
• Spectroscopy
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Developing advanced atomic line sources is crucial for studying fast transient phenomena.
• Existing sources often suffer from spectral impurities, self-absorption, and window degradation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe and analyze a novel intense vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) atomic line source.
• To evaluate its suitability for absorption spectroscopy in dynamic environments.
• To determine key atomic parameters using the developed source.

Main Methods:

• Excitation of atomic species in a 2450-MHz microwave discharge cavity.
• Analysis of spectral characteristics, including intensity ratios and line shapes.
• Application of atomic line shape theory to deduce source parameters and atomic properties.

Main Results:

• The VUV source exhibits a clean spectrum with minimal self-absorption and window deterioration.
• Atomic line shape theory analysis yielded a source temperature of 2700 ± 200 K.
• Determined an f-value of 0.052 ± 0.005 for the O-atom 1300-A triplet and a collision diameter of 5.5 ± 1.0 Å for O-atom-nitrogen molecule interactions.

Conclusions:

• The developed VUV atomic line source is highly effective for absorption measurements in rapid events.
• The source facilitates accurate determination of atomic parameters, including oscillator strengths and collision cross-sections.
• Validated theoretical models with experimental transmission data, confirming source uniformity and excitation.