Comparison of Damages on Tungsten Surface Exposed to Noble Gas Plasmas

Tungsten was exposed to pure Ar or Ne plasmas over 1550 K at several incident ion energies. Even under the irradiation condition that the tungsten nanostructure is formed by He plasma irradiation, holes/bubbles and fiberform nanostructures were not formed on the surface by exposure to Ar or Ne plasmas. In addition, the results from energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy supported the facts that Ar and Ne did not remain in the sample. We will discuss the reason for the differences in the damage to the tungsten surface exposed to noble gas plasmas.

Study on the Two-Dimensional Density Distribution for Gas Plasmas Driven by Laser Pulse

We perform an experimental study of two-dimensional（2D） electron density profiles of the laser-induced plasma plumes in air by ordinarily laboratorial interferometry. The electron density distributions measured show a feature of hollow core. To illustrate the feature, we present a theoretical investigation by using dynamics analysis. In the simulation, the propagation of laser pulse with the evolution of electron density is utilized to evaluate ionization of air target for the plasma-formation stage. In the plasma-expansion stage, a simple adiabatic fluid dynamics is used to calculate the evolution of plasma outward expansion. The simulations show good agreements with experimental results, and demonstrate an effective way of determining 2D density profiles of the laser-induced plasma plume in gas.

Numerical analysis of deflection control of a gas plasma jet based on magnetohydrodynamic staggered electrode configuration

To control the deflection of the gas plasma jet, a new analytical method is proposed based on the Magnetohydrodynamic(MHD) technique. Based on the typical MHD power generation model, the applied voltage is applied to the staggered electrodes, that is, a pair of electrodes on the same side wall are connected to generate an axial current in the channel. Under the action of the magnetic field perpendicular to the direction of the flow, the plasma is subjected to electromagnetic forces perpendicular to these two directions, and the jet is deflected. The computational model including the Navier-Stokes equations coupled with electromagnetic source terms, the electric potential equation and Ohm’s law is solved. The deflection of the gas jet under the action of an electromagnetic field is observed, and the maximum deflection angle is about 14.8°. The influences of the electric field, magnetic field, and conductivity on the jet deflection are studied. Results show that although the influences of these three factors on the deflection are similar, and the effect of increasing the electric field strength is slightly greater, priority should be given to increasing the magnetic field strength from the perspective of reducing energy consumption. The Stuart number is introduced to assess the ability of electromagnetic force to control jet deflection. When the electromagnetic parameters are constant, this solution provides better control of low-density and low-speed fluid flows. The calculation results show that using the staggered electrode method configuration is feasible in terms of controlling the deflection of a plasma jet deflection.

The Instability of Terahertz Plasma Waves in Two Dimensional Gated and Ungated Quantum Electron Gas

The instability of terahertz（THz）plasma waves in two-dimensional（2D）quantum electron gas in a nanometer field effect transistor（FET）with asymmetrical boundary conditions has been investigated.We analyze THz plasma waves of two parts of the 2D quantum electron gas：gated and ungated regions.The results show that the radiation frequency and the increment（radiation power）in 2D ungated quantum electron gas are much higher than that in 2D gated quantum electron gas.The quantum effects always enhance the radiation power and enlarge the region of instability in both cases.This allows us to conclude that 2D quantum electron gas in the transistor channel is important for the emission and detection process and both gated and ungated parts take part in that process.

Nonequilibrium Atmospheric Pressure Ar/O_2 Plasma Jet:Properties and Application to Surface Cleaning

In this study an atmospheric pressure Ar/O_2 plasma jet is generated to study the effects of applied voltage and gas flux rate to the behavior of discharge and the metal surface cleaning.The increase in applied voltage leads to increases of the root mean square（rms） current,the input power and the gas temperature.Furthermore,the optical emission spectra show that the emission intensities of metastable argon and atomic oxygen increase with increasing applied voltage.However,the increase in gas flux rate leads to a reduction of the rms current,the input power and the gas temperature.Furthermore,the emission intensities of metastable argon and atomic oxygen decrease when gas flux rate increases.Contact angles are measured to estimate the cleaning performance,and the results show that the increase of applied voltage can improve the cleaning performance.Nevertheless,the increase of gas flux rate cannot improve the cleaning performance.Contact angles are compared for different input powers and gas flux rates to search for a better understanding of the major mechanism for surface cleaning by plasma jets.

Numerical analysis of plasma arc behaviors

Completely understanding the physical mechanisms of the plasma arc is critical to its application in welding of medium thickness plates. In this study, a mathematical model is developed to analyze the temperature, fluid flow, electromagnetic fields and pressure distribution in plasma arc welding. The correlations between the torch structure （ nozzle diameter） and the plasma are properties are analyzed qualitatively. The influence of the plasma gas flow rate on the plasma arc behavior is also simulated numerically. The temperature distribution and current density of the plasma are change greatly with a little variation of the nozzle diameter and^or the plasma gas flow rate. Compared to the tungsten-inert-gas arc with almost same conditions, the heat intensity, fluid velocity and pressure at the anode suoCace rise by one order of magnitude for a plasma arc. The analysis results lay solid foundation for effective usage ofplnsma arc welding.

Production of ammonia from plasma-catalytic decomposition of urea: Effects of carrier gas composition

Effects of carrier gas composition（N2/air） on NH3 production, energy efficiency regarding NH3 production and byproducts formation from plasma-catalytic decomposition of urea were systematically investigated using an Al2 O3-packed dielectric barrier discharge（DBD） reactor at room temperature. Results show that the presence of O2 in the carrier gas accelerates the conversion of urea but leads to less generation of NH3. The final yield of NH3 in the gas phase decreased from 70.5%, 78.7%, 66.6% and 67.2% to 54.1%, 51.7%, 49.6% and 53.4% for applied voltages of 17, 19, 21 and 23 kV, respectively when air was used as the carrier gas instead of N2.From the viewpoint of energy savings, however, air carrier gas is better than N2 due to reduced energy consumption and increased energy efficiency for decomposition of a fixed amount of urea. Carrier gas composition has little influence on the major decomposition pathways of urea under the synergetic effects of plasma and Al2 O3 catalyst to give NH3 and CO2 as the main products. Compared to a small amount of N2 O formed with N2 as the carrier gas, however,more byproducts including N2O and NO2 in the gas phase and NH4 NO3 in solid deposits were produced with air as the carrier gas, probably due to the unproductive consumption of NH3, the possible intermediate HNCO and even urea by the abundant active oxygen species and nitrogen oxides generated in air-DBD plasma.

Terahertz radiation-enhanced-emission-of-fluorescence

Terahertz （THz） wave science and technology have been found countless applications in biomedical imaging, security screening, and non-destructive testing as they approach maturity. However, due to the challenge of high ambient moisture absorption, the development of remote open-air broadband THz spectroscopy technology is lagging behind the compelling need that exists in homeland security, astronomy and environmental monitoring. Furthermore, the underlying physical mechanisms behind the interaction between the THz wave and laserinduced plasma which responds strongly to electromag- netic waves have not been fully understood. This review aims to explain the light-plasma interaction at THz frequencies within a semiclassical framework along with experimental study of the femtosecond-laser- induced nitrogen plasma fluorescence under the illumination of single-cycle THz pulses. The results indicate that THz-radiation-enhanced-emission-of-fluorescence （THz- REEF） is dominated by electron kinetics in the THz field and the electron-impact excitation of gas molecules/ions. The information of the time-dependent THz field can be recovered from the measured time-resolved THz-REEF from single-color laser induced plasma with the help of the bias as local oscillator. The calculations and experimental verification lead to complete understanding of the science behind these effects and push forward to extend their capabilities in related applications such as remote THz sensing, plasma diagnostics and ultrafast photoluminescence modulation. Systematic studies in selected gases including neon, argon, krypton, xenon, methane （CH4）, ethane （C2H6）, propane （C3H8）, and n-butane （C4Hlo） gases were performed to obtain an improved understanding of the THz-REEF. The dependences of the enhanced fluorescence on the THz field, laser excitation intensity, gas pressure, and intrinsic atomic properties were experimentally characterized. Both narrow line emission and broad continuum emission of the gas plasma were enhanced by the THz field. Their fluorescence enhancement ratios and time-resolved enhanced fluorescence were largely dependent on the scattering cross section and ionization potential of atoms. For the first time, we demonstrated a novel ＇all-optical＇ technique of broadband THz wave remote sensing by coherently manipulating the fluorescence emission from asymmetrically ionized gas plasma that interacted with THz waves. By studying the ultrafast electron dynamics under the single cycle THz radiation, we found that the fluorescence emission from laser-induced air plasma was highly dependent on the THz electric field and the symmetry of the electron drift velocity distribution created by two-color laser fields. The time-resolved THz-REEF can be tailored by switching the relative two-color phase and laser polarizations. Owing to the high atmospheric transparency and omni-directional emission pattern of fluorescence, this technique can be used to measure THz pulses at standoff distances with minimal water vapor absorption and unlimited directionality for optical signal collection. The coherent THz wave detection at a distance of 10 m had been demonstrated. The combination of this method and previously demonstrated remote THz genera- tion would eventually make remote THz spectroscopy available. We also introduced a unique plasma diagnostic method utilizing the THz-wave-enhanced fluorescence emission from the excited atoms or molecules. The electron relaxation time and plasma density were deduced through applying the electron impact excitation/ionization and electron-ion recombination processes to the measured time-delay-dependent enhanced fluorescence. The electron collision dynamics of nitrogen plasma excited at different gas pressures and laser pulse energies were systematically investigated. This plasma diagnostic method offers picosecond temporal resolution and is capable of omnidirectional optical signal collection. The ultrafast quenching dynamics of laser-pulseinduced photoluminescence in semiconductors under the radiation of single-cycle THz pulses was studied. It was found that the quenching in both cadmium telluride （CdTe） and gallium arsenide （GaAs） was linearly proportional to the intensity of incident THz waves and reaches up to 17% and 4% respectively at the peak intensity of 13 MW/cm2. The THz-wave-induced heating of the carriers and lattice and the subsequent decreased efficiency of photocarrier generation and recombination were most likely to be responsible for the quenching. This is potentially useful for the applications ofa non-invasive ultrafast light modulator for photoluminescence devices with picoseconds switching time in the fields of the light-emitting devices and optical communication.

A facile route to tungsten oxide nanomaterials with controlled morphology and structure

Various tungsten oxide-based nanomaterials have been prepared by a modified plasma arc gas condensation technique without the use of catalysts or substrates. These products could be obtained by controlling the processing parameters during experiment. All the as-obtained samples were characterized by field emission gun scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X- ray diffraction techniques. The results revealed that as-prepared tungsten oxide nanomaterials （WO3, W190s5 and WsO14） with different phases and morphologies could be obtained by decreasing the oxygen content in the chamber. In addition, W18049 nanotubes and nanorod bundles were fabricated by con- trolling the Ar/O2 ratio under He plasma gas. W18Q9/TiO2 core-shell nanoparticles were also prepared by evaporating a dual target. The experimental results showed that the present technique is unique and feasible for the fabrication of nanomaterials for use in different applications.