A comparative study on the spectral characteristics of nanosecond pulsed discharges in atmospheric He and a He+2.3%H_(2)O mixture

Nanosecond pulsed discharges at atmospheric pressure in a pin-to-pin electrode configuration are well reproducible in time and space, which is beneficial to the fundamentals and applications of low-temperature plasmas. In this experiment, the discharges in helium(He) and He with 2.3%water vapor(H_(2)O) are driven by a series of 10 ns overvoltage pulses(~13 k V). Special attention is paid to the spectral characteristics obtained in the center of discharges by time-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. It is found that in helium, the emission of atomic and molecular helium during the afterglow is more intense than that in the active discharge, while in the He+2.3%H_(2)O mixture, helium emission is only observed during the discharge pulse and the molecular helium emission disappears. In addition, the emissions of OH(A-X) and Hα present similar behavior that increases sharply during the falling edge of the voltage pulse as the electrons cool down rapidly. The gas temperature is set to remain low at 540 K by fitting the OH(A-X) band. A comparative study on the emission of radiative species(He, He_(2), OH and H)is performed between these two discharge cases to derive their main production mechanisms. In both cases, the dominant primary ion is He^(+) at the onset of discharges, but their He^(+) charge transfer processes are quite different. Based on these experimental data and a qualitative discussion on the discharge kinetics, with regard to the present discharge conditions, it is shown that the electron-assisted three-body recombination processes appear to be the significant sources of radiative OH and H species in high-density plasmas.

The 266-nm ultraviolet-beam generation of all-fiberized super-large-mode-area narrow-linewidth nanosecond amplifier with tunable pulse width and repetition rate

We report on a compact, stable, all-fiberized narrow-linewidth(0.045 nm) pulsed laser source emitting laser beam with a wavelength of 266 nm, and tunable pulse width and repetition rate. The system is based on all-fiberized nanosecond amplifier architecture, which consists of Yb-doped fiber preamplifiers and a super-large-mode-area Yb-doped fiber power amplifier. The fiber amplifier with a core of 50 μm is used to raise the threshold of the stimulated Brillouin scattering(SBS) effect and to obtain high output power and single pulse energy. Using lithium triborate(LBO) crystal and betabarium borate(BBO) crystal for realizing the second-harmonic generation(SHG) and fourth-harmonic generation(FHG),we achieve 17 μJ(1.73 W) and 0.66 μJ(66 mW), respectively, at wavelengths of 532 nm and 266 nm and a repetition rate of 100 kHz with pulse width of 4 ns. This source has great potential applications in fluorescence research and solar-blind ultraviolet optical communication.

Generation of high-energy dual-wavelength domain wall pulse with low repetition rate in an HNLF-based fiber ring laser

The generation of high-energy dual-wavelength domain wall pulse with a low repetition rate is demonstrated in a highly nonlinear fiber （HNLF）-based fiber ring laser. By introducing the intracavity birefringence-induced spectral filtering effect, the dual-wavelength lasing operation can be achieved. In order to enhance the cross coupling effect between the two lasing beams for domain wall pulse formation, a 215-m HNLF is incorporated into the laser cavity. Experimentally, it is found that the dual-wavelength domain wall pulse with a repetition rate of 77.67 kHz could be efficiently obtained through simply rotating the polarization controller （PC）. At a maximum pump power of 322 mW, the 655-nJ single pulse energy in cavity is obtained. The proposed configuration provides a simpler and more efficient way to generate high energy pulse with a low repetition rate.

All-fiberized very-large-mode-area Yb-doped fiber based high-peak-power narrow-linewidth nanosecond amplifier with tunable pulse width and repetition rate

We demonstrate an all-fiberized narrow-linewidth nanosecond amplifier with high peak power,tunable pulse width,and repetition rate.A fiber-coupled narrow-linewidth laser diode operating at 1064.1 nm is employed as the seed source,which is gain-switched to generate nanosecond pulses with tunable pulse widths of 1-200 ns and tunable repetition rates of10 Hz-100 kHz.By utilizing a very-large-mode-area Yb-doped fiber with a core diameter of 50 μm in the power amplifier,thresholds of the stimulated Brillouin scattering at different pulse widths and repetition rates are increased.The maximum average power reaches 30.8 W at the pulse width of 4 ns and a repetition rate of 100 kHz,corresponding to an optical-tooptical conversion efficiency of ~55.2%.Pulse energy and peak power are calculated to be 0.2 mJ and 50 kW,respectively,which are limited by stimulated Brillouin scattering.The 3-dB spectral linewidth remains around 0.05 nm during the power scaling process.The stimulated Brillouin scattering limited output powers at different pulse widths and repetition rates are investigated.Peak power of 47.5 kW(0.19 mJ) is obtained for the 4 ns pulses at a repetition rate of 50 kHz,which is nearly the same as that of 4 ns pulses at 100 kHz.When the pulse width of the seed source is increased to 8 ns,peak powers/pulse energies are decreased to 19.6 kW/0.11 mJ and 13.3 kW/0.08 mJ at repetition rates of 50 kHz and 100 kHz,respectively.

Assessment the Optimal Effect of Time of Repetition: Extrinsic Pulse Parameter on Gd-DTPA Enhanced, Spin-Echo T1-Weighted MR Images under Low Magnetic Field Strength

The contrast agent concentration, the time of repetition (TR) and magnetic field strength are significant parameters that influence for the accurate signal intensity (SI) in quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate and refine the dependence and the optimal effect of Time of Repetition (TR) on the relationship between signal intensity and Gd-DTPA (Gadolinium-diethylene-triaminepenta-acetic acid) concentration, after applying two-dimensional (2D) Spin Echo (SE) pulse sequence under low-field MRI. In addition to that, the optimal concentration of Gd-DTPA at given sequence parameters at low-field MRI was also evaluated. A water-filled phantom was constructed for a range of Gd-DTPA concentrations (0 - 6 mmol/L) and the mean signal intensities (SIs) were assessed in the defined region of interest on T1-weighted images with different TR values (40 - 2000 ms). The generated signal-concentration curves for Gd-DTPA revealed that increasing TR was associated with the increase of the overall SIs and the maximum relationship between SI to concentration. Moreover, the required Gd-DTPA concentration to produce the maximum SI was associated to decrease with the increase of TR. In addition to this, the application of beyond 100 ms TR values in this study with relatively higher concentrations (beyond 1 - 2 mmol/L) has resulted predominantly non-linear patterns in the signal-concentration curves and it appears the saturation or decay of the SIs due to T2 effect. From these results, it can be suggested that the selection of relatively lower Gd-DTPA concentration ( mmol/L) with less than 800 ms (<800 ms) TR values can produce a better linear relationship between the concertation and SIs in T1-weighted SE low field contrast-enhanced MRI. Furthermore, this study also outlined the significance and necessity of the optimization of TR in SE sequence in low field MRI prior to a particular examination.

Fast repetition rate fs pulsed lasers for advanced PLIM microscopy

Simultaneous metabolic and oxygen imaging is promising to follow up therapy response,dis-ease development and to determine prognostic factors.FLIM of metabolic coenzymes is now widely accepted to be the most reliable method to determine cellular bioenergetics.Also,oxygen consumption has to be taken into account to understand treatment responses.The phosphorescence lifetimne of oxygen sensors is able to indicate local oxygen changes.For phosphorescence lifetime imaging(PLIM)dyes based on ruthenium(I)coordination com-plexes are useful,in detaill TLD1433 which possesses a variety of different triplet states,enables complex photochemistry and redox reactions.PLIM is usally reached by two photon exci-tation of the drug with a femtosecond(fs)pulsed Ti:Sapphire laser working at 80 MHz repe-tition rate and(time-correlated single photon counting)(TCSPC)detection electronics.The interesting question was whether it is possible to follow up PLIM 1using faster repetition rates.Faster repetition rates could be advantageous for the induction of specific photochemical reactions because of similar light doses used normally in standard CW light treatments.For this,a default 2p-FLIM-PLIM system was expanded by adding a second fs pulsed laser("helixx")which provides 50 fs pulses at a repetition rate of 250 MHz,more than 2.3 w average power and tunable from 720 nm to 920 nm.The laser beam was coupled into the AOM instead of the default 80 MHz laser.We demonstrated siuccessful applications of the 250 MHz laser for PLIM which correlates well with measurements done by excitation with the conventional 80MHx laser source.

Discharge Characteristics of SF_6 in a Non-Uniform Electric Field Under Repetitive Nanosecond Pulses

The characteristics of high pressure sulphur hexafluoride（SF6） discharges in a highly non-uniform electric field under repetitive nanosecond pulses are investigated in this paper.The influencing factors on discharge process,such as gas pressure,pulse repetition frequency（PRF）,and number of applied pulses,are analyzed.Experimental results show that the corona intensity weakens with the increase of gas pressure and strengthens with the increase of PRF or number of applied pulses.Spark discharge images suggest that a shorter and thicker discharge plasma channel will lead to a larger discharge current.The number of applied pulses to breakdown descends with the increase of PRF and ascends with the rise of gas pressure.The reduced electric field（E/p） decreases with the increase of PRF in all circumstances.The experimental results provide significant supplements to the dielectric characteristics of strongly electronegative gases under repetitive nanosecond pulses.

Improvement of Polytetrafluoroethylene Surface Energy by Repetitive Pulse Non-Thermal Plasma Treatment in Atmospheric Air

Improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy by non-thermal plasma treatment is presented, using a nanosecond-positive-edge repetitive pulsed dielectric barrier discharge generator in atmospheric air. The electrical parameters including discharging power, peak and density of micro-discharge current were calculated, and the electron energy was estimated. Surface treatment experiments of polytetrafluoroethylene films were conducted for both different applied voltages and different treating durations. Results show that the surface energy of polytetrafluoroethylene film could be improved to 40 mJ/m2 or more by plasma treatment. Surface roughness measurement and surface X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicate that there are chemical etching and implantation of polar oxygen groups in the sample surface treating process, resulting in the improvement of the sample surface energy. Compared with an AC source of 50 Hz, the dielectric barrier discharges generated by a repetitive pulsed source could provide higher peak power, lower mean power, larger micro-discharge current density and higher electron energy. Therefore, with the same applied peak voltage and treating duration, the improvement of polytetrafluoroethylene surface energy using repetitive pulsed plasma is more effective, and the plasma treatment process based on repetitive pulsed dielectric barrier discharges in air is thus feasible and applicable.

Generation of X-ray Emission in Repetitive Nanosecond-pulse Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Pulsed discharges can generate high power densities and high equivalent electric fields in plasma to emit X-rays,which is closely related to discharge mechanism.In this paper,discharge characteristics and X-ray emission of typical nanosecond-pulse discharges(corona,diffuse,spark or arc)are reviewed.Especially,the diffuse discharges are observed at pulse repetition frequencies up to 1 kHz.Factors influencing the discharge characteristics and X-ray emission are analyzed,such as the gap spacing,parameters of the applied pulse(amplitude,pulse repetition frequency),anode and cathode materials,and curvature radius of cathode.It is concluded that the maximum X-ray intensity is obtained in a diffuse discharge,and the X-ray intensity is affected by the pulse repetition frequency,applied voltage,anode material,and curvature radius of cathode.For example,X-ray intensity increases with the pulse repetition frequency and the atomic numbers of the anode material,but it decrease with the increase of curvature radius.It is also shown that the cathode material has no obvious influence on the X-ray intensity.

Measurement and control for a repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown experiment in polymer films

In order to perform data acquisition and avoid unwanted over-current damage to the power supply, a convenient and real-time method of experimentally investigating repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown in polymer dielectric samples is presented. The measurement-acquisition and control system not only records breakdown voltage and current, and time-to-breakdown duration, but also provides a real-time power-off protection for the power supply. Furthermore, the number of applied pulses can be calculated by the product of the time-to-breakdown duration and repetition rate. When the measured time-to-breakdown duration error is taken into account, the repetition rate of applied nanosecond-pulses should be below 40kHz. In addition, some experimental data on repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown of polymer films are presented and discussed.

Experimental study of polarity dependence in repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown

Pulsed breakdown of dry air at ambient pressure has been investigated in the point-plane geometry, using repetitive nanosecond pulses with 10 ns risetime, 20-30 ns duration, and up to 100 kV amplitude. A major concern in this paper is to study the dependence of breakdown strength on the point-electrode polarity. Applied voltage, breakdown current and repetitive stressing time are measured under the experimental conditions of some variables including pulse voltage peak, gap spacing and repetition rate. The results show that increasing the E-field strength can decrease breakdown time lag, repetitive stressing time and the number of applied pulses as expected. However, compared with the traditional polarity dependence it is weakened and not significant in the repetitive nanosecond-pulse breakdown. The ambiguous polarity dependence in the experimental study is involved with an accumulation effect of residual charges and metastable states. Moreover, it is suggested that the reactions associated with the detachment of negative ions and impact deactivation of metastable species could provide a source of primary initiating electrons for breakdown.

Generation of Atmospheric Pressure Plasma by Repetitive Nanosecond Pulses in Air Using Water Electrodes

Dielectric barrier discharge （DBD） excitated by pulsed power is a promising method for producing nonthermal plasma at atmospheric pressure. Discharge characteristic in a DBD with salt water as electrodes by a home-made unipolar nanosecond-pulse power source is presented in this paper. The generator is capable of providing repetitive pulses with the voltage up to 30 kV and duration of 70 ns at a 300 Ω resistive load. Applied voltage and discharge current are measured under various experimental conditions. The DBD created between two liquid electrodes shows that the discharge is homogeneous and diffuse in the whole discharge regime, Spectra diagnosis is conducted by an optical emission spectroscopy. The air plasma has strong emission from nitrogen species below 400 nm, notably the nitrogen second positive system.

Alzheimer's disease with depressive symptoms: Clinical effect of intermittent theta burst stimulation repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease(AD),characterized by the ongoing deterioration of neural function,often presents alongside depressive features and greatly affects the quality of life of individuals living with the condition.Although several treatment methods exist,their efficacy is limited.In recent years,repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation(rTMS)utilizing the theta burst stimulation(TBS)mode,specifically the intermittent TBS(iTBS),has demonstrated promising therapeutic potential in the management of neuropsychiatric disorders.AIM To examine the therapeutic efficacy of iTBS mode of rTMS for treating depressive symptoms in patients with AD.METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 105 individuals diagnosed with AD with depressive symptoms at Huzhou Third Municipal Hospital,affiliated with Huzhou University,between January 2020 and December 2023.Participants received standard pharmacological interventions and were categorized into control(n=53)and observation(n=52)groups based on treatment protocols.The observation group received iTBS mode of rTMS,while the control group received pseudo-stimulation.A comparative analysis evaluated psychological well-being,adverse events,and therapeutic at initiation of hospitalization(T0)and 15 days post-treatment(T1).RESULTS At T1,both groups exhibited a marked reduction in self-rating depression scale and Hamilton depression scale scores compared to T0.Furthermore,the observa-tion group showed a more pronounced decrease than the control group.By T1,the Mini-mental state examination scores for both groups had increased markedly from their initial T0 assessments.Importantly,the increase was particularly more substantial in the observation group than in the control group.Fourteen patients in the control group had ineffective treatment effects,while five patients in the observation group experienced the same.Additionally,the observation group experienced a substantially reduced incidence of ineffective treatment as compared to the control group(both P<0.05);there were no recorded serious adverse events in either group.CONCLUSION The iTBS model of rTMS effectively treated AD with depression,improving depressive symptoms and cognitive function in patients without serious adverse reactions,warranting clinical consideration.

Design and Construction of Compact Repetitive Nanosecond Pulse Generator Based on Tesla Transformer

A compact high-voltage repetitive nanosecond pulse generator(HRNPG)was developed for studying the technology of repetitive nanosecond pulse technology and its related application.The HRNPG mainly consists of a repetitive charging module,a Tesla transformer and a sharpening switch.With its voltage lower than 1 kV,the primary repetitive charging circuit comprises two fast thyristors as its low-voltage switches.The spiral Tesla transformer acts as the main step-up component,and its peak transformation ratio is designed to be more than 100.A self-breakdown spark switch,i.e.the sharpening switch,is used to sharpen the output of the transformer and to generate nanosecond pulses.The HRNPG prototype is capable of generating pulses of 100 kV in peak with rise time 30 ns and the maximum repetition rate of 500 Hz on a 6 k load.Experimental results show,without any magnetic core,the developed Tesla transformer prototype can easily output high voltage while keeping itself small in size and light in weight,which is of significance for the compactness and portability of the pulse generator.The N2-insulated spark switch operated well at voltage close to 100 kV and the repetition rate within several hundreds of hertz.

Sensitivity of Some Biological Objects to Repetitive Submicrosecond Microwave Pulses

The effect of repetitive pulsed microwaves （10 GHz, pulse duration of 100-300 ns, pulse repetition rate of 4-25 pulse per second, peak power density of 0.04-3.5 kW/cm^2） on mastocytoma P815, Ehrlich carcinoma, normal spleen cells and wound healing was investigated. It was found that short-time irradiation with an intensity of 0.9-1.5 kW/cm^2 inhibited proliferation of tumor cells in vitro, whereas at same time it contributes to proliferation of normal spleen cells in vitro. The repetitive pulsed microwaves with an intensity of 0.04-1.5 kW/cm^2 stimulated healing of skin wounds and ulcerations in mice. The effects showed a dependence on the pulse repetition rate and irradiation intensity.

Effect of Frequency on Degradation in BOPP Films Under Repetitively Pulsed Voltage

Operating conditions of film capacitors are complex,and the problem of film insulation failure caused by repetitively pulsed voltage is becoming ever serious.Degradation of the film under repetitively pulsed voltage cannot be accurately evaluated by the average breakdown electric field.In this paper,the effects of pulsed electric field and pulse repetition frequency on the breakdown in biaxially oriented polypropylene(BOPP)films are investigated.Three phases of BOPP degradation are proposed based on the voltage amplitude,i.e.,maintenance(M),decline(D),and near-zero(N).Evolution of the BOPP film from degradation to breakdown at different frequencies is presented.Meanwhile,transition of discharge mode and elemental composition of the film are analyzed.Experimental results show continuous heat generation under repetitive microsecond pulses is the dominant factor for degradation of BOPP film.The number of applied pulses and the repetitive stressing time decrease exponentially with increase of frequency.This research can be contributed to the safe and reliable operation of capacitors.

Charge Accumulation Characteristics of SF6-Epoxy Interface Under Negative Repetitive Nanosecond Pulses

Repetitve nanosecond impulses in gas-insulated metal-enclosed switchgear (GIS) are likely to trigger inside flashover. Interface charges on the spacer in GIS are considered one of the main factors damaging insulation performance and may be induced by overvoltage. For good understanding of insulation failures, accumulation characteristics of charges between SF6 and epoxy spacers under repetitive nanosecond impulses are investigated. It can be found under nanosecond impulses, the charge source in gas volume contributes to interface charge accumulation predominantly. Interface charges will be promoted by impulse number and amplitude. Accumulation processes are analyzed based on runaway electrons mechanism. When impulse amplitude exceeds a threshold value, discharge in the gas volume turns to a runaway mode. A runaway electron leads to the interface charge accumulation. Affected by motion of the runaway electrons, the potential peak gradually moves close to the grounded electrode when impulse amplitude is raised. Meanwhile, increasing impulse number can enhance surface potential. Surface potential will reach saturation eventually. However, memory effect of the repetitive impulse discharge makes the half-peak width of the surface potential at the interface change little. Design of GIS gas-solid insulations can refer to this research.

Optimized analysis of sharpening characteristics of a compact RF pulse source based on a gyro-magnetic nonlinear transmission line for ultrawideband electromagnetic pulse application

We constructed a compact high-power RF pulse generator based on a gyro-magnetic nonlinear transmission line(GNLTL) to produce a high-voltage pulse with a sub-nanosecond rise time and a relatively high repetition rate, which shows great potential for application in the high-power ultrawideband electromagnetic effect, etc. The influence of incident pulse parameters(rise time and voltage amplitude) and line length on the sharpening characteristics of the GNLTL were investigated experimentally to optimize the rising rate of the modulated pulse front. Based on the GNLTL equivalent circuit model consisting of an LC ladder network, the rise time, the voltage conversion coefficient and the rising rate properties of a modulated pulse were also numerically analyzed in a wider range. The results show that a?>?90 k V RF pulse with a rise time of 350 ps and a repetition rate of 1 kHz in burst mode is produced by the GNLTL at an axial biasing magnetic field of 22 kA m^-1 and a line length of 30 cm under the condition of a 70 kV incident pulse. Applying a faster and higher incident pulse is conducive to improving the sharpening effect of the GNLTL. Furthermore, within a certain range, increasing the line length of the GNLTL not only reduces the rise time, but increases the voltage conversion coefficient and the rising rate of a modulated pulse. Furthermore, considering the energy loss of ferrite rings, there is an optimal line length to obtain the fastest rising rate of a modulated pulse front edge.

A Gain-Switched Fe:ZnSe Laser Pumped by a Pulsed Ho,Pr:LLF Laser

We demonstrate a gain-switched Fe:ZnSe laser pumped by a 2958 nm pulsed Ho,Pr:LLF laser. The maximum single pulse energy is 16.4uJ with a minimum pulse duration of 13.9 ns at the pulse repetition frequency of1 Hz when the Fe:ZnSe crystal is cooled to 77 K by liquid nitrogen, corresponding to a slope efficiency of 22.9%.The central wavelength and FWHM linewidth are 3957.4 nm and 23.2 nm, respectively. The output energy monotonically decreases as the crystal temperature increases in the range 77–293 K.

The pulsed microwave damage trend of a bipolar transistor as a function of pulse parameters

In the present paper we conduct a theoretical study of the thermal accumulation effect of a typical bipolar transistor caused by high power pulsed microwaves（HPMs）,and investigate the thermal accumulation effect as a function of pulse repetition frequency（PRF） and duty cycle.A study of the damage mechanism of the device is carried out from the variation analysis of the distribution of the electric field and the current density.The result shows that the accumulation temperature increases with PRF increasing and the threshold for the transistor is about 2 kHz.The response of the peak temperature induced by the injected single pulses indicates that the falling time is much longer than the rising time.Adopting the fitting method,the relationship between the peak temperature and the time during the rising edge and that between the peak temperature and the time during the falling edge are obtained.Moreover,the accumulation temperature decreases with duty cycle increasing for a certain mean power.