Argon plasma modeling with detailed fine-structure cross sections

Abstract

Our recently reported fully relativistic distorted-wave electron-impact cross sections from the ground and metastable states of argon to various excited fine-structure levels are incorporated in a collisional-radiative model to obtain the population densities for the 3p54s and 3p54p (1s and 2p) fine-structure manifolds for low temperature argon plasmas. Excitation cross sections from the two 3p54s J = 1 resonance levels, 1s2 and 1s4, to the higher lying 2p fine-structure manifold as well as for transitions among individual levels of the 1s and 2p manifolds are also calculated and included in the present model which were not fully considered in any earlier model. Our results for the population densities of the 1s and 2p levels show good agreement with recent measurements. The variation of population densities of all the 1s and 2p levels with electron temperature and density are presented. We have also calculated and compared the intensities for the 750.38 nm (2p1 → 1s2) and 696.54 nm (2p2 → 1s5) lines with recently reported experimental results. The present work suggests that the inclusion of a complete fine-structure description of the electronic processes occurring in the plasma is important for a collisional radiative model, which includes separate 1s and 2p levels.