Self-absorbing method to measure the population of the metastable levels in an argon microwave plasma at atmospheric pressure

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Metastable atoms play an important role in the kinetics of plasmas. A self-absorbing method has been used to determine the population density of Ar( 3 P 0 ) and Ar( 3 P 2 ) atomic metastable levels and Ar( 1 P 1 ) and Ar( 3 P 1 ) atomic resonant levels in an argon microwave discharge sustained by a surface wave at atmospheric pressure. Under the operative conditions investigated, the concentrations of these levels ranged from 10 10 −10 12 cm −3 , being in agreement with those reported in the literature, which seems to indicate that this method could be used for this calculation.