Experimental and numerical investigations of air plasmas induced by multi-MeV pulsed X-ray from low to atmospheric pressures

Abstract

This research work is devoted to the experimental and theoretical analysis of air plasmas induced by multi-MeV pulsed X-ray for a large pressure range of humid air background gas varying from 20 mbar to atmospheric pressure. The time evolution of the electron density of the air plasma is determined by electromagnetic wave absorption measurements. The measurements have uncertainties of about ±30%, taking into account the precision of the dose measurement and also the shot to shot fluctuations of the generator. The experimental electron density is obtained by comparing the measurements of the transmitted microwave signals to the calculated ones. The calculations need the knowledge of the time evolution of the electron mean energy, which is determined by a chemical kinetic model based on a reaction scheme involving 39 species interacting following 265 reactions. During the X-ray pulse, a good agreement is obtained between time evolution of the electron density obtained from absorption measurements and calculations based on the kinetic model. The relative deviation on the maximum electron density and the corresponding plasma frequency is always lower than 10%. The maximum electron density varies from 4 × 1011 to 3.5 × 1013 cm−3 between 30 mbar to atmospheric pressure, while the peak of the electron mean energy decreases from 5.64 eV to 4.27 eV in the same pressure range.