Spectroscopic measurements of electric field in electrical discharges

Abstract

Electric field strength in the sheath region is one of the most important parameters of electrical discharges because it is closely connected with others, such as charge densities, fluxes of electrons and ions and energy distribution functions. Experimental spectroscopy technique based on the effect of splitting and shifting of energy levels in helium is used for determination of electric field strength in the sheath region of electrical discharges at low and high pressure. Electric field distributions in helium and helium with 5% of hydrogen are measured in glow discharge and in dielectric barrier discharge.