Application of classical models to high resolution electric field strength falls in a hydrogen glow-discharge

Abstract

This paper presents the application of two classical models to high-resolution electric field measurements carried out in a hollow cathode discharge operated in pure hydrogen plasma. The electric field determination has been done via the Stark shifting and splitting of the 2S level of hydrogen, followed by optogalvanic detection. Two classical models, Rickards' and Wroński's, are applied to these measurements with the objective of obtaining a first estimation on the discharge dynamics. The chosen models provide an idea of the ions movement, their energy and their mean free path at the cathode fall region, as well as the electric field strength behaviour depending on the discharge characteristics.