Numerical Study on Radiation Trapping of He I Resonance Lines in Arc Plasma Under High-Gas Pressures

• Published in: Plasma and Fusion Research 2021/02/10, Vol.16, pp.2401012-2401012
• Main Authors: KAWAZOME, Hayato, ISLAM, Md Anwarul, NAMBA, Shinichi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Absorption; Gas pressure; Helium; helium arc plasma; Photoabsorption; Plasmas (physics); Radiation; Radiation trapping; Resonance lines; Simulation; spectral line shape
• ISSN: 1880-6821; 1880-6821
• DOI: 10.1585/pfr.16.2401012

In high-gas pressure helium arc plasmas, a forbidden line (1s 1S-2p 3P : 59.1 nm) as well as the resonance lines 1s 1S-np 1P lines of He I have been observed. The intensity ratio of the 1s 1S-2p 1P line of He I to forbidden line calculated from the Einstein A coefficients (NIST database) is ∼10−7, whereas the value obtained experimentally was as small as ∼20. The reason for the discrepancy between the experiment and database can be interpreted from that the photoabsorption (self-absorption) of the resonance lines 1s 1S-np 1P lines can cause the drastic change in radiative processes in high-pressure plasmas. In order to validate our interpretation on this mismatch, we investigated the influence of self-absorption of the resonance lines 1s 1S-np 1P lines by numerical simulations. The simulation code calculated the photoabsorption process by He atom along a line-of-sight by using coupled rate equations incorporated with the radiation trapping effect. As a result, the simulation yielded the line intensity ratio of 25 because of the strong self-absorption.