Determination of Arc Plasma Electron Densities from the Refraction of a Laser Beam.
Abstract
The thesis is a report of an attempt to determine the electron density in a free-burning axially symmetric, argon arc from measurements of the bending of a narrow laser beam that passed through the arc. The arc is generated in the Olsen Arc chamber and the laser used is a Helium Neon laser. The beam bending as a function of lateral position of the beam on the arc is measured at 1.15 and 3.39. These data are manipulated to produce the refractive indices and the electron density at the center of the arc without using the Abel integral inversion. These results agree with available theoretical calculations by Olsen, Hug, and Drellishak. Analytical methods for obtaining radial distributions of the refractive indices and electron density are also developed. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1970
- Accession Number
- AD0874660
Entities
People
- Donald R. Smith Jr
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology