Machine learning combined with Langmuir probe measurements for diagnosis of dusty plasma of a positive column

This paper reports the use of machine learning to enhance the diagnosis of a dusty plasma. Dust in a plasma has a large impact on the properties of the plasma. According to a probe diagnostic experiment on a dust-free plasma combined with machine learning, an experiment on a dusty plasma is designed and carried out. Using a specific experimental device, dusty plasma with a stable and controllable dust particle density is generated. A Langmuir probe is used to measure the electron density and electron temperature under different pressures, discharge currents, and dust particle densities. The diagnostic result is processed through a machine learning algorithm,and the error of the predicted results under different pressures and discharge currents is analyzed,from which the law of the machine learning results changing with the pressure and discharge current is obtained. Finally, the results are compared with theoretical simulations to further analyze the properties of the electron density and temperature of the dusty plasma.     

The current pulses characteristics of the negative corona discharge in SF6/CF4 mixtures

This paper presents the results of numerical investigation of the current pulses characteristics in SF₆/CF₄ mixtures for the negative point-plane corona discharge. The pressure and the temperature of gas mixtures are 0.4 MPa and 300 K, respectively. The CF₄ content varies from20% to 80%. The 2D axisymmetric geometry with point-plane electrodes is investigated, and the three drift-diffusion equations are solved to predict the characteristics of the negative corona...     

Breakdown Voltage Research of Penning Gas Mixture in Plasma Display Panel

Paschen law and equations, which ignore the influence of the Penning ionization on the electron ionization coefficient （α）, are always used as the approximation of the breakdown voltage criterion of the Penning gas mixture in current researches of discharge characteristics of the plasma display panel （PDP）. It is doubtful that whether their results match the facts. Based on the Townsend gas self-sustaining discharge condition and the chemical kinetics analysis of the Penning gas mixture discharging in PDP, the empirical equation to describe the breakdown of the Penning gas mixture is given. It is used to calculate the breakdown voltage curves of Ne-Xe/MgO and Ne-Ar/MgO in a testing macroscopic discharge cell of AC-PDP. The effective secondary electron emission coefficients （γeff） of the MgO protective layers are derived by comparing the breakdown voltage curves obtained from the empirical equation with the experimental data of breakdown voltages. In comparison with the results calculated by the Paschen law and the equation which ignore the influence of the Penning ionization on α , the results calculated by the empirical equation have better conformity with experimental data. The empirical equation characterizes the breakdown of the Penning gas mixture in PDP effectively, and gives a convenient way to study its breakdown characteristics and the secondary electron emission behaviors.     

Effect of Internal Antenna Coil Power on the Plasma Parameters in13.56 MHz/60 MHz Dual-Frequency Sputtering

The plasma property of a hybrid ICP/sputtering discharge driven by 13.56 MHz/60 MHz power sources was investigated by Langmuir probe measurement. For the pure sputtering discharge, the low electron density and ion flux, the rise of floating potential and plasma potential with increasing power, as well as the bi-Maxwellian distribution of electron en- ergy distributions （EEDFs） were obtained. The assistance of ICP discharge led to the effective increases of electron density and ion flux, the suppression of rise of floating potential and plasma potential, as well as the change of EEDFs from bi-Maxwellian distribution into Maxwellian dis- tribution. The increase of electron density and ion flux, and the EEDFs evolution were related to the effective electron heating by the induced electric field.     

Influence of dust particles on spatial distributions of particles and fluxes in positive column of glow discharge

The research herein examined the results of numerical simulations of the positive column of a glow discharge in argon dusty plasma using COMSOL Multiphysics software under conditions similar to the project known as PK-4. Various scenarios dealing with formations of spatial distributions of densities and fluxes for charged particles were studied, and evaluations of the influence of dust particles on the discharge were obtained in a wide range of dust densities. Two extreme cases were distinguished: weak dust influence when the densities, fluxes and electric field profiles are not perturbed, and strong dust influence when all three density profiles(electrons, ions and charged dust) in the dust cloud are similar(parallel) to each other, resulting in all created charges in the dust cloud being lost inside the cloud. In such a case, the ambipolar field and the transport of charged particles are decreased in the dust cloud, and any ambipolar flux is almost absent within the cloud.     

Three dimensional nonlinear shock waves in inhomogeneous plasmas with different size dust grains and external magnetized field

The evolution of three dimensional nonlinear shock waves is investigated in a dusty plasma with inhomogeneous particles’density,nonadiabatic dust charge variation,external magnetized field and power law dust size distribution.For this purpose,a modified nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries Burgers equation containing variable coefficients is obtained by reductive perturbation method.The effects of inhomogeneity,dust size distribution,external magnetized field,dust charge variation and obliqueness parameter on shock structures are numerically examined in great detail.Furthermore,research results show that oscillatory shock waves and monotone shock waves exist and transform each other in this system.     

Investigation of nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge actuators with powered electrodes of different exposures

Nanosecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge actuators with powered electrodes of different exposures were investigated numerically by using a newly proposed plasma kinetic model. The governing equations include the coupled continuity plasma discharge equation, drift-diffusion equation, electron energy equation, Poisson's equation, and the Navier–Stokes equations.Powered electrodes of three different exposures were simulated to understand the effect of surface exposure on plasma discharge and surrounding flow field. Our study showed that the fully exposed powered electrode resulted in earlier reduced electric field breakdown and more intensive discharge characteristics than partially exposed and rounded-exposed ones. Our study also showed that the reduced electric field and heat release concentrated near the right upper tip of the powered electrode. The fully exposed electrode also led to stronger shock wave, higher heating temperature, and larger heated area.     

Suppression of a spontaneous dust density wave by modulation of ion streaming

Synchronization of a self-excited dust density wave has been experimentally investigated in a strongly coupled dusty plasma. A dust density wave of frequency ~78 Hz is spontaneously generated from the dust void boundary due to the ion streaming instability. The electric field in the dust void region is measured, and the electric field force and ion drag force on the dust particles at the void boundary are estimated to explain the mechanism of spontaneous dust density wave excitation. Synchronization occurring through the suppression mechanism is observed by modulating the ion streaming by applying an external sinusoidal signal to the dust void. At sufficiently high modulation amplitude, the onset of period-doubling bifurcation is observed. Fast Fourier transform spectral analysis is done using time-series data obtained from high-speed video imaging. The van der Pol equation with a force term is used to correlate the observed suppression phenomena.     

Self-Consistent Model for Pulsed Direct-Current N2 Glow Discharge

A self-consistent analysis of a pulsed direct-current (DC) N2 glow discharge is presented. The model is based on a numerical solution of the continuity equations for electron and ions coupled with Poisson‘s equation. The spatial-temporal variations of ionic and electronic densities and electric field are obtained. The electric field structure exhibits all the characteristic regions of a typical glow discharge (the cathode fall, the negative glow, and the positive column). Current-voltage characteristics of the discharge can be obtained from the model. The calculated current-voltage results using a constant secondary electron emission coefficient for the gas pressure 133.32 Pa are in reasonable agreement with experiment.     

Dust Acoustic Compressive Waves in a Warm Dusty Plasma Having Non-Thermal Ions and Non-Isothermal Electrons

In this article an investigation is presented on the properties of dust acoustic(DA)compressive solitary wave propagation in an adiabatic dusty plasma,including the effect of nonthermal positive and negative ions and non-isothermal electrons.The reductive perturbation method has been employed to derive the lower degree modified Kadomtsev-Petviashivili(mK-P),3D Schamel-Korteweg-de-Vries equation or modified Kadomtsev-Petviashivili(mK-P) equations for dust acoustic solitary waves in a homogeneous,unmagnetized and collisionless plasma whose constituents are non-isothermal electrons,singly charged positive and negative non-thermal ions and massive charged dust particles.The stationary analytical solutions of the lower degree mK-P and mK-P equations are numerically analyzed,where the effect of various dusty plasma constituents on DA solitary wave propagation is taken into account.It is observed that both the ions in dusty plasma play a key role in the formation of DA compressive solitary waves,and also the ion concentration and non-isothermal electrons control the transformation of the compressive potentials of the waves.     

Numerical study on characteristics of radio-frequency discharge at atmospheric pressure in argon with small admixtures of oxygen

In this paper, a 1D fluid model is developed to study the characteristics of a discharge in argon with small admixtures of oxygen at atmospheric pressure. This model consists of a series of equations, including continuity equations for electrons, positive ions, negative ions and neutral particles, the energy equation, and the Poisson equation for electric potential. Special attention has been paid to the electron energy dissipation and the mechanisms of electron heating, while the admixture of oxygen is in the range of 0.1%–0.6%. It is found that when the oxygen-to-argon ratio grows, the discharge is obviously divided into three stages: electron growth, electron reduction and the electron remaining unchanged. Furthermore, the cycle-averaged electric field,electron temperature, electron Ohmic heating, electron collisionless heating, electron energy dissipation and the net electron production are also studied in detail, and when the oxygen-toargon ratio is relatively larger(R?=?0.6%), double value peaks of electron Ohmic heating appear in the sheath. According to the results of the numerical simulation, various oxygen-to-argon ratios result in different amounts of electron energy dissipation and electron heating.     

Dust acoustic shock waves in magnetized dusty plasma

We have presented a theoretical study of the dust acoustic(DA) shock structures in a magnetized,electron depleted dusty plasma in the presence of two temperature superthermal ions. By deriving a Korteweg–de Vries–Burgers equation and studying its shock solution, we aim to highlight the effects of magnetic field and obliqueness on various properties of the DA shock structures in the presence of kappa-distributed two temperature ion population. The present model is motivated by the observations of Geotail spacecraft in the Earth?s magnetotail and it is seen that the different physical parameters such as superthermality of the cold and hot ions, the cold to hot ion temperature ratio, the magnetic field strength, obliqueness and the dust kinematic viscosity greatly influence the dynamics of the shock structures so formed. The results suggest that the variation of superthermalities of the cold and hot ions have contrasting effects on both positive and negative polarity shock structures.Moreover, it is noted that the presence of the ambient magnetic field affects the dispersive properties of the medium and tends to make the shock structures less wide and more abrupt. The findings of present investigation may be useful in understanding the dynamics of shock waves in dusty plasma environments containing two temperature ions where the electrons are significantly depleted.     

PIC/MCC Simulation of Radio Frequency Hollow Cathode Discharge in Nitrogen

A two-dimensional PIC/MCC model is developed to simulate the nitrogen radio frequency hollow cathode discharge (rf-HCD).It is found that both the sheath oscillation heating and the secondary electron heating together play a role to maintain the rf-HCD under the simulated conditions.The mean energy of ions (N2+,N+) in the negative glow region is greater than the thermal kinetic energy of the molecular gas (N2),which is an important characteristic of rf-HCD.During the negative portion of the hollow electrode voltage cycle,electrons mainly follow pendulum movement and produce a large number of ionization collisions in the plasma region.During the positive voltage of the rf cycle,the axial electric field becomes stronger and its direction is pointing to the anode (substrate),therefore the ions move toward the anode (substrate) via the axial electric field acceleration.Compared with dc-HCD,rf-HCD is more suitable for serving as a plasma jet nozzle at low pressure.     

Dusty Sheaths in Magnetized Plasmas

Parameters of self-consistent magnetized dusty sheaths are investigated using computer simulations of a temporal evolution of one-dimensional slab plasma with dust particles. The evolution is caused by a collection of electrons and ions by both a wall (electrode) and dust particles, which are initially immersed into plasma and distributed in front of the electrode. Obtained results show the existence of oscillations of a self-consistent potential in magnetized dusty sheaths including boundary potentials. Dust particles weaken magnetized sheaths and create additional sheaths close to a boundary of dust particles. The magnetic field does not influence on the dust particle charge.     

Two-dimensional simulation and experiments of helium discharge between parallel-plate electrodes in short gaps at atmospheric pressure

ABSTRACT

Helium gas is used as the coolant in high temperature gas-cooled reactor while its insulation property is not good and brings big challenges to insulation design work. In this paper, breakdown voltages of two parallel-plate electrodes in millimeter-scale gaps at atmospheric pressure are calculated numerically with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model. The Finite-Difference Flux-Corrected Transport method (FD-FCT) is used to avoid spurious oscillation caused by convection and diffusion restrictions. The simulation results are in good agreement with our experimental work. Different discharge characteristics are presented for a breakdown or a non-breakdown voltage. Importantly, when a breakdown is applied, ground-state ionization will make up the most in early stages while later accumulation of metastable atoms and molecules will prompt fractions of penning ionization to increase rapidly. It is predicted that penning ionization will eventually become comparable with ground-state ionization, especially near the anode, as the current density keeps increasing to order of 1 A. Some other simulation results are presented such as time evolutions of the distribution of electrons, ions, field strength and axial potential, etc. Attainment of these breakdown voltages and characteristics of helium discharge is going to help with insulation design work of electric equipment in reactor engineering.     

Pattern Formation in a Dusty Plasma System

A rich variety of dust patterns have been observed in a capacitively coupled rf discharge dusty plasma system. Dust particles are synthesized through chemical reaction of the filled gas mixture during discharge. Different patterns are formed in different stages of particle growth. In the early stage of particle growth, dust cloud can be formed by a large number of small particles, and its behavior appears to be fluid-like. Such interesting nonlinear phenomena as dust void and complex dust cloud patterns are observed in this stage. As dust particles grow, the particle size and structure can be controlled to follow two different routes. In one of the routes, the particles grow up in a ball-like shape and can be formed into regular lattice and cluster patterns. In the other, the particles grow up in a fractal shape.     

Effect of Segmented Electrode Length on the Performances of an Aton-Type Hall Thruster

The influences of the low-emissive graphite segmented electrode placed near the channel exit on the discharge characteristics of a Hall thruster are studied using the particlein-cell method.A two-dimensional physical model is established according to the Hall thruster discharge channel configuration.The effects of electrode length on the potential,ion density,electron temperature,ionization rate and discharge current are investigated.It is found that,with the increasing of the segmented electrode length,the equipotential lines bend towards the channel exit,and approximately parallel to the wall at the channel surface,the radial velocity and radial flow of ions are increased,and the electron temperature is also enhanced.Due to the conductive characteristic of electrodes,the radial electric field and the axial electron conductivity near the wall are enhanced,and the probability of the electron-atom ionization is reduced,which leads to the degradation of the ionization rate in the discharge channel.However,the interaction between electrons and the wall enhances the near wall conductivity,therefore the discharge current grows along with the segmented electrode length,and the performance of the thruster is also affected.     

Propagation characteristics of microwaves in dusty plasmas with multi-collisions

In this study, we consider three main collisions in dusty plasmas and investigate the effects of dust grains on the propagation of electromagnetic(EM) waves through uniform, unmagnetized and weakly ionized dusty plasma. The Drude model is improved to describe the dielectric property of dusty plasmas, which accounts for collisions including electron–molecule, electron–ion, and electron–dust particles. Based on the improved Drude model, the propagation characteristics of microwaves in dusty plasmas have been numerically calculated and studied.The results show that the propagation characteristics of microwaves through dusty plasmas are different from those through normal plasmas. The effects of dust density and size are mainly studied. Numerical results indicate that the momentum transfer between electrons and dust grains makes more energy loss. The dust density and dust size have a similar influence on EM wave propagation, resulting in less transmission and more absorption.     

Characteristics of inductively coupled plasma(ICP) and helicon plasma in a singleloop antenna

Large area uniform plasma sources, such as high-density magnetized inductively coupled plasma(ICP) and helicon plasma, have broad applications in industry. A comprehensive comparison of ICP and helicon plasma, excited by a single-loop antenna, is presented in this paper from the perspectives of mode transition, hysteresis behavior, and density distribution. The E-H mode transition in ICP and the E-H-W mode transition in helicon plasma are clearly observed in the experiments. Besides, the considerable variation of hysteresis behavior from inverse hysteresis to normal hysteresis by the influence of the magnetic field is explored. The bi-Maxwellian and Maxwellian electron energy distribution functions in each discharge are used to explain this phenomenon, which is essentially related to the transition from a nonlocal kinetic property to a local kinetic property of electrons. In addition, we notice that the plasma density, in the radial direction, is peaked in the center of the tube in ICP, but a complicated distribution is formed in helicon plasma. In the axial direction, the maximum plasma density is still in the center of the antenna in ICP, whereas the highest plasma density is located downstream, far away from the antenna, in helicon plasma. It is believed that the reflected electrons in the sheath and pre-sheath by the upper metallic endplate and downstream propagated helicon wave will be responsible for this plasma density profile in helicon plasma. Due to the constrained electron motion in the magnetic field, an extremely uniform density distribution will be obtained with an appropriate axial magnetic field in the wave discharge mode.     

Electrostatic Modes of Dusty Plasmas in a Uniform Magnetic Field

Electrostatic dusty plasma waves in a uniform magnetic field are studied.Unless the magnetic field is extremely strong,the dust particles can hardly be magnetized,while however,electrons and ions are easily done so.Electrostatic modes in such dusty plasmas can then be investigated by making use of the “Moderately magnetized” assumption of magnetized electrons and ions,and unmagnetized dust particles.In a high frequency range,due to the existence of dust component.both frequencies of Langmuir waves(parallel to the magnetic field)and upper hybrid waves(perpendicular to the field) are reduced.In the frequency range of ion waves,besides the effect on dust-ion-acoustic waves propagating parallel to the magnetic field.the frequency of ion cyclotron waves perpendicular to the magnetic field is also enhanced.In a very low dust frequency range,we find an “ion-cyclotron-dust-acoustic” mode propagating across the field line with a frequency even slower than dust acoustic waves.