Electrode surface field and preionization effects on the spatial distribution of arcs in CO2 laser discharges

We have studied the spatial distribution of arcing as a function of electrode spacing and preionization pattern in CO2 laser discharge mixtures, using circular electrodes which allowed a gap of up to 10 cm and a discharge volume of ∼3 liters. We utilized both cathode-field enhancement with uniform p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 1978-01, Vol.49 (4), p.2376-2379
Main Authors: Mitchell, Robert R., Denes, Louis J., Kline, Laurence E.
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:We have studied the spatial distribution of arcing as a function of electrode spacing and preionization pattern in CO2 laser discharge mixtures, using circular electrodes which allowed a gap of up to 10 cm and a discharge volume of ∼3 liters. We utilized both cathode-field enhancement with uniform preionization and apertured preionization with uniform field to define the discharge boundaries. In both cases, we found a threshold value of cathode-field enhancement below which arcing was uniform and confined to the discharge region and above which arcing became highly nonuniform, with arcs localized to the high-field region.
ISSN:0021-8979
1089-7550
DOI:10.1063/1.325125