An incoherent Thomson scattering system for measurements near plasma boundaries

Laser Thomson scattering (LTS) is a minimally invasive measurement technique used for determining electron properties in plasma systems. Sheath model closure validation requires minimally invasive measurements of the electron properties that traverse the boundaries between the bulk plasma, the presheath, and the plasma sheath. Several studies have probed the radial properties along the surface of discharge electrodes with laser-based diagnostics and electrostatic probes. These measurements provide valuable insight into the electron properties in this dynamic region. However, sheath model calibration requires plasma property measurements perpendicular to plasma bounding surfaces, in this case, along the electrode normal vector between discharge electrodes. This work presents the development of a discharge plasma cell and laser Thomson scattering system with a measurement volume step of 1 mm normal to plasma bounding surfaces. The laser Thomson scattering measurements are made between a set of discharge electrodes separated by ∼25 mm that are used to generate a pulsed argon plasma. The spatial distribution of electron temperature and density is measured at several discharge voltages between 8 and 20 kV at a pressure of 8 Torr-Ar. It is determined that the system is statistically stationary and resembles a classic DC discharge plasma. The results are some of the first laser diagnostic-based "between electrode" measurements made along the plasma bounding electrode normal vector. A one-dimensional sheath model is applied to determine the near cathode electron properties, and it is determined that the edge of the presheath is probed in the high-voltage cases. As the lengths of the presheath and sheath decrease with decreasing voltage, the region recedes below the closest probed point to the cathode. To improve the performance of the diagnostic, the step size of the interrogation volume should decrease by an order of magnitude from 1 mm to less than 100 μm, and the data acquisition strategy should be revised to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.