Über die Anwendbarkeit der Linienumkehrmethode zur Messung der Elektronentemperatur in einem schwach ionisierten Edelgas-Alkali-Plasma

Abstract

When an electric current is passed through a rare-gas alkali plasma the electron temperature rises above the gas temperature. This effect was investigated in a streaming argon-potassium plasma at atmospheric pressure and a gas temperature of 2000 °K. The applicability of the line reversal method to the measurement of the electron temperature has been investigated. General conditions under which the electron temperature equals the line reversal temperature have been derived. In the case studied, the plasma had to be optically thick for the resonance radiation used. The electron temperature was measured with this method as a function of the current density. The results were compared with the values calculated from the theory and with the values calculated from the also measured conductivities. For electron temperatures above 2400 °K all three give the same results.