Optical emission and absorption spectroscopy of argon 2p-1s transitions (Paschen notation) combined with collisional-radiative (CR) modeling of argon 2p states are developed and used to determine the neutral gas temperature, the Ar 1s number density, and the electron temperature along a microwave argon plasma column at atmospheric pressure. The CR model, designed specifically for atmospheric-pressure and optically thick plasma conditions, is fully detailed and validated by comparing the relative line emission intensities of argon 2p-to-1s transitions measured experimentally with the ones predicted by the CR model using the electron temperature as the only adjustable parameter. Subsequently, the neutral gas temperature (∼1300–1600 K; obtained from the broadening of argon 2p2-1s2 and 2p3-1s2 emission lines), the Ar 1s5 number density (1–2 × 1018 m−3; obtained from absorption spectroscopy of the argon 2p9-1s5 transition using a tunable laser diode), and the electron temperature (∼1.4 eV; obtained from the comparison between the measured and simulated 2p-to-1s emission line intensities) are reported as a function of the axial distance along the microwave plasma column. The values and behaviors reveal a good agreement with those reported in previous experimental and modeling studies.

A combination of optical emission and absorption spectroscopy of argon 2p –1s transitions (Paschen notation) combined with collisional-radiative (CR) modelling of argon 2p  states was used to characterize microwave argon plasmas at atmospheric pressure in presence of N2, O2, and H2 admixtures. In particular, the neutral gas temperature (obtained from the broadening of argon 2p 2–1s2 and 2p 3–1s2 emission lines), the number density of argon 1s5 atoms (obtained from absorption spectroscopy of the argon 2p 9–1s5 transition using a tunable laser diode), the electron temperature (obtained from the comparison between measured and simulated argon 2p -to-1s relative line emission intensities), and the electron density (obtained from the Stark broadening of the Hβ line and argon relative line emission intensities) were recorded as a function of the axial distance along the microwave plasma column. The results show that, for a given position in the plasma and a higher amount of admixture in the nominally pure argon plasma, the neutral gas temperature increases and the electron number density decreases, while the electron temperature and the population of argon metastable atoms first decreases and then increases at higher concentrations. With such information, a detailed analysis of the electron power balance was performed. It is found that less than 1% of the admixture in the argon plasma already absorbed more than 80% of the microwave power. Part of this energy is used for neutral gas heating, mostly through electron-impact excitation of rotational levels.

A combination of optical emission spectroscopy and collisional-radiative modelling is used to determine the time-resolved electron temperature (assuming Maxwellian electron energy distribution function) and number density of Ar 1s states in atmospheric pressure Ar-based dielectric barrier discharges in presence of either NH3 or ethyl lactate. In both cases, Te values were higher early in the discharge cycle (around 0.8 eV), decreased down to about 0.35 eV with the rise of the discharge current, and then remained fairly constant during discharge extinction. The opposite behaviour was observed for Ar 1s states, with cycle-averaged values in the 10 17 m −3 range. Based on these findings, a link was established between the discharge ionization kinetics (and thus the electron temperature) and the number density of Ar 1s state.

This study reports a one‐step process for the formation of anti‐fog coatings on commercial glass substrates using the jet of an open‐to‐air microwave argon plasma at atmospheric pressure with hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO) as the precursor for plasma‐enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Optical microscopy and broadband light transmittance measurements revealed significant precursor fragmentation and gas phase association reactions when HMDSO was injected close to the tube outlet, resulting in powder‐like, hydrophobic, and semiopaque glass surfaces. On the contrary, injection of HMDSO close to the substrate led to smoother, homogeneous, hydrophilic, and transparent glass surfaces. In addition, transmittance measurements at 590 nm in humid air according to American Society for Testing and Materials standard tests revealed superior anti‐fogging properties to plasma‐treated glass substrates. On the basis of the optical emission and absorption spectroscopy measurements, electrons, metastable argon atoms, and hot neutral argon atoms were mostly responsible for the significant precursor fragmentation close to the tube outlet, whereas the contribution of hot neutrals and ultraviolet photons became important close to the substrate.

This work examines the rotational–translational equilibrium in non-thermal, argon-based plasmas at atmospheric pressure. In particular, rotational temperatures (T rot) and neutral gas temperatures (T g) are compared along the axis of plasma columns sustained by either radiofrequency (RF) or microwave (MW) electromagnetic fields. Water vapours or N2 admixtures are added to the high-purity argon plasmas to record the rotational temperatures from the emission spectra of either the OH(A2Σ + − X2Π i ) or the N2 +(B2Σ u + − X2Σ g + ) rovibrational systems. T g values are also deduced from the line broadening of selected Ar emission lines using an hyperfine spectrometer. In the MW Ar/H2O plasma, T g decreases from ∼2100 K close to the wave launcher to ∼1600 K near the end of the plasma column, while T rot is mostly constant in the 1500 K range. In presence of N2 admixtures instead of water vapours, T g is higher by about 300 K (from ∼2400 K to ∼1900 K), while T rot decreases from ∼3200 K to ∼2750 K along the plasma column. A discrepancy between T g and T rot is also observed in the much colder RF plasmas with T g ∼ 400 K and T rot ∼ 515 K. Such departure from the rotational–translational equilibrium in both plasmas is ascribed to the influence of electrons competing with neutrals to impose their own temperature on the distribution of rotational levels of both ground and excited states.