MRI: Acquisition of an Imaging Spectrograph for High Resolution Spectroscopic Analysis of Discharge Plasmas

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The acquisition of this high-resolution spectrograph that can be used to explore the physical properties of discharge plasmas will advance research activities at William Paterson University and Stevens Institute of Technology. A spectrograph analyzes the intensity of light emitted by a light source or discharge plasma as a function of wavelength that can be used to characterize the light source, leading to greater understanding of the physical processes that occur in the discharge. In light sources that involve high-pressure plasmas the pertinent information includes the rotational, vibrational and electronic temperatures, the electron density and the collisional and radiative processes occurring in the discharge. These results can be used to model the processes occurring in the discharge and determine the extent in which the plasmas are in thermal equilibrium. The many interesting applications that involve high-pressure plasmas include excimer lamps, high power lasers, opening switches, and novel plasma processing applications. This instrument provides opportunities in cutting edge research at William Paterson University and also for a broader community. The broader community includes high school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, undergraduate students and graduate students from other institutions. The impact on these populations includes exposing a larger audience to training on a cutting edge research instrument that, in turn, may make the students more likely to go on to higher levels of education in the physical sciences. The acquisition will foster a collaborative research environment that will extend across the disciplines of chemistry, physics and chemical engineering and between William Paterson University and Stevens Institute of Technology.