Development of large volume double ring penning plasma discharge source for efficient light emissions

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics
• Atomic and Molecular Physics
• Optical Engineering

Background:

• Penning plasma discharge sources are crucial for various applications requiring efficient light emission.
• Optimizing large volume plasma generation is essential for enhancing light output and plasma density.
• Previous configurations often faced limitations in achieving high plasma densities in large volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize a large volume double ring Penning plasma discharge source.
• To investigate the impact of double anode ring configuration on plasma properties and light emission efficiency.
• To compare the performance of double ring versus single ring configurations.

Main Methods:

• Construction of a Penning discharge source with specific cathode and anode ring dimensions.
• Utilizing Neodymium permanent magnets to generate a ~0.1 T magnetic field.
• Performing experiments and simulations with helium gas discharge.
• Employing optical emission spectroscopy and the spectral line-ratio technique to analyze plasma characteristics.

Main Results:

• The double ring anode configuration demonstrated superior light emission efficiency in a large volume Penning plasma.
• Electron plasma density measurements indicated approximately 2 × 10^11 cm^-3 for the double ring setup.
• This density is roughly one order of magnitude higher than that achieved with a single ring arrangement.

Conclusions:

• The developed double ring Penning plasma discharge source offers enhanced light emission efficiency.
• The double ring configuration is effective in significantly increasing electron plasma density in large volume discharges.
• This advancement holds promise for applications demanding high-intensity light sources and dense plasmas.