Determination of the number densities of CH(X2Π) and CH(A2Δ) radicals in a DC cascaded arc discharge plasma

Abstract

A combination of optical emission spectroscopy (OES) and cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) has enabled to determinate the number densities of CH(A2Δ) and CH(X2Π) radicals simultaneously in a cascaded arc plasma reactor operating with a CH4/Ar mixture. It is found that the number density of CH(A2Δ) radical increases with discharge current at first and then decreases. However, the number density of CH(X2Π) radical decreases with discharge current when the rate of CH4 flow to total flow is lower than 1 %, while it increases slightly with discharge current when the rate is 1.5 %. The results reveal that CH radicals are deviation from excitation equilibrium. Although OES is the simplest and most straightforward means to investigate the CH radical behavior, it is not enough to provide the information of the CH(X2Π) number density, and additional methods, such as CRDS, are needed in the cascaded arc plasma jet.