Diagnosis of ion velocity distribution from pin to plate geometry in atmospheric argon dielectric barrier discharge

Abstract

A new method, fast Fourier transform, is presented to calculate ion velocity distribution by analyzing electromagnetic radiation signal from plasma. This method is based on a dipole model that does not require the assumption of thermodynamic equilibrium. To understand the discharge evolution, the ion velocity distribution is calculated in different oscillation cycles. Results show that the ion velocity distribution deviates from Maxwell distribution over time. The ion velocity and relative ion number fluctuate regularly with time. V C 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.