Measurement of vibrationally excited N2(v) in an atmospheric-pressure air pulsed corona discharge using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering

Abstract

Vibrationally excited N2(v = 1, 2) in an atmospheric-pressure air pulsed corona discharge was measured using coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS). In a dry air discharge, the vibrational temperature determined from the ratio N2(v = 2)/N2(v = 0), Tv2, was approximately 500 K higher than that determined from N2(v = 1)/N2(v = 0), Tv1, immediately after the discharge pulse. Both vibrational temperatures reached equilibrium within 100 μs after the discharge pulse by the vibration-to-vibration (V-V) process of N2-N2. The translational temperature was also measured using CARS. The rise in the translational temperature due to vibration-to-translation (V-T) energy transfer was not observed for a postdischarge time of 5 μs–1 ms in the dry-air discharge. However, when the air was humidified, a significant V-T energy transfer was observed. It was due to an extremely rapid V-T process of H2O-H2O following the V-V process of N2-H2O. Measurements showed that the humidification of the ambient air accelerated the decrease in the N2 vibrational temperature and increased the translational temperature. N2(v) was generated mostly in the secondary streamer, not in the primary one, according to estimation from the measured N2(v) density.