Microplasmas Sustained in the Sub-THz Band

Steady-state microplasma generation within a photonic crystal (PhC) produces high electron density (> 10^{20} \mathrm{m}^{-3}) in argon gas. The microplasma forms in free space within a vacancy of the crystal. In this work, the PhC consists of a rectangular array of alumina rods. By removing a si...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hopwood, J.
Format: Conference Proceeding
Language:English
Subjects:
Electromagnetic scattering
Electromagnetics
Integrated optics
Optical resonators
Photonic crystals
Plasmas
Steady-state
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Steady-state microplasma generation within a photonic crystal (PhC) produces high electron density (> 10^{20} \mathrm{m}^{-3}) in argon gas. The microplasma forms in free space within a vacancy of the crystal. In this work, the PhC consists of a rectangular array of alumina rods. By removing a single rod from the array, the resulting vacancy acts as an electromagnetic resonator. Electromagnetic waves impinging on the PhC produce a strong electric field (> 10^{5}\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{m}) in the vacancy that heats free electrons to form a free-floating spheroidal microplasma. The electromagnetic response of the PhC is scalable from the microwave band into the optical band, making the PhC a suitable geometry to study plasma frequency-scaling and wave interactions.
ISSN:2576-7208
DOI:10.1109/ICOPS45740.2023.10481101