Plasma Production for New Applications

这项研究计划是为了研究产生等离子体和诊断等离子体的新方法。人们普遍需要开发适用于许多新应用的等离子体。例如，等离子体拍波场加速器和用于高能束最终聚焦的等离子体透镜需要小但密集、均匀、静止和可重复的等离子体。等离子体处理需要成分、温度和电位可控的直流等离子体源。首先，这项工作将探索射频螺旋波源的局限性，以期将其用于等离子体加速器研究和等离子体辅助材料加工。螺旋波的理论和实验研究已经开始。与此同时，将开始研究在存在强烈射频振荡的情况下测量等离子体特性的新探测技术。然后，该项目将扩展到其他可能的电离方法，例如使用紫外线手电筒对Xe进行双光子电离，或激光加热毛细放电，或钠的缔合电离。所有这些方法都是非标准的，需要研究才能制定出它们的可能性。

This research program is for the study of new methods for producing plasma and for diagnosing them. There is a common need to develop suitable plasmas for many new applications. For instance, the plasma beat-wave field accelerator and the plasma lens for final focus of high energy beams need small but dense, uniform, quiescent, and reproducible plasmas. Plasma processing requires dc plasma sources whose composition, temperature, and potential can be controlled. Initially, this work will explore the limits of rf helicon wave sources with a view towards using them in plasma accelerator research and in plasma-assisted materials processing. Research on helicon waves has already begun on both theory and experiment. At the same time, work will begin on new probe techniques for measuring plasma properties in the presence of strong radio frequency oscillations. The project will then extend to other possible methods of ionization, such as two-photon ionization of Xe using uv flashlamps, or laser-heated capillary discharges, or associative ionization of Na. All these methods are non-standard and need study before one can map out their possibilities.