Hot and super-hot hydrogen atoms in microwave plasma

Abstract

“Super-hot” (kinetic energy ∼4–8 eV) and “hot” (kinetic energy ∼0.3 eV) H atoms were detected in a surface wave (500 MHz) generated H2 plasma column, at pressure p=0.01 mbar, from the analysis of the Hβ, Hγ, Hδ, and Hε emission line profiles. These profiles were found to evolve from single Gaussian to bi-Gaussian toward the plasma column end. Population inversion between the levels 5→4 and 6→4 was detected. At pressure p=0.2 mbar, super-hot atoms were not detected and the temperature of the hot atoms was found to increase with the upper level principal quantum number.