Development of diagnostics of electron density and temperature for atmospheric-pressure helium plasma based on optical emission spectroscopy analysis and a collisional-radiative model

Abstract

Abstract An algorithm for diagnosing the electron density and temperature of helium plasma at atmospheric pressure has been developed based on a revised helium collisional-radiative (CR) model. Atomic collision processes are included, and part of the atomic data of electron collision processes in the conventional CR model has been updated to expand its valid pressure. The algorithm uses eight emission lines in the visible-wavelength range as inputs to determine the electron density, electron temperature, and number density of the two metastable states by fitting the number density of the states corresponding to the emission lines. The algorithm has a considerably small theoretical error. In the microwave-discharged low-pressure helium plasma experiment, the results obtained with the algorithm agreed well with the results obtained with the probe method. The electron density and temperature of the atmospheric-pressure helium plasma obtained with the algorithm agreed well with the results of the continuum spectrum analysis.