ECLIPSE: Ultrafast Ionization, Heating, Thermalization and Constriction of High-Pressure Nanosecond Pulsed Discharge Plasmas

该奖项支持实施一种新的大气压放电等离子体测量技术。常压等离子体是一种部分电离的气体，具有许多潜在的应用，包括通过气体净化去除挥发性有机化合物，内燃机的稀薄点火，以及控制高速流动。扩大和扩大大气压力等离子体的潜力以满足社会需求的能力目前受到我们以受控和可重复的方式产生这些等离子体的能力的限制。更好地理解大气压脉冲等离子体放电中产生不稳定性的机制是改进对这些过程的控制的关键。这个项目将执行最先进的激光诊断，并辅之以数值模拟来调查不稳定性。该项目还将支持为高年级小学生开发动手等离子体实验，并在2025年等离子体化学国际研讨会上为本科生实施联网和辅导课程。该研究项目旨在通过开发一套超快光学诊断工具，在纳秒尺度上研究从部分电离大气压力放电到完全电离热火花放电的快速转变机制。这项研究将通过对超快电离和热化的定量分析，对纳秒重复脉冲放电(NRP)的等离子体物理产生新的见解。一个重要的目标是测试提出强耦合现象在观测到的等离子体加热中的作用的理论模型。此外，将利用核反应堆中遇到的大范围电离度和等离子体温度来评估几种光学诊断方法在部分和完全电离等离子体区域中的适用性。这项研究的结果有望对大气压等离子体中产生不稳定性的电子动力学、加热和热化机制有新的认识。该项目是与卢森堡科学与技术研究所合作进行的，卢森堡国家研究基金提供支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award supports implementation of a novel measurement technique for atmospheric pressure discharge plasmas. Atmospheric pressure plasma - a partially ionized gas - has many potential applications, including the removal of volatile organic compounds through gas cleaning, lean ignition of combustion engines, and control of high-speed flows. The capability to extend and broaden the potential of atmospheric pressure plasmas for addressing societal needs is currently limited by our ability to generate these plasmas in a controlled and reproducible manner. Better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of instabilities in atmospheric pressure pulsed plasma discharges is key to improving control of these processes. This project will perform state-of-the-art laser diagnostics complemented with numerical simulations to investigate the instabilities. This project will also support the development of hands-on plasma experiments for upper elementary school students and implementation of a networking and mentoring session for undergraduate students at the 2025 International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry.This research project aims to investigate the mechanisms of the fast transition from partially ionized atmospheric pressure discharges to fully ionized thermal spark discharges on nanosecond time scales by developing a suite of ultrafast optical diagnostics. The study will produce new insights in the plasma physics of nanosecond repetitively pulsed discharges (NRPs) with quantitative analysis of ultrafast ionization and thermalization. An important goal is to test theoretical models proposing a role of strongly coupled phenomena in the observed plasma heating. In addition, the large range of ionization degrees and plasma temperatures encountered in NRPs will be leveraged to assess the applicability of several optical diagnostics in the partially and fully ionized plasma regimes. The outcomes of this study are expected to lead to new insights on electron kinetics, heating and thermalization mechanisms responsible for the occurrence of instabilities in atmospheric pressure plasmas. The project is performed in collaboration with the Luxembourg Institute of Science & Technology supported by the Luxembourg National Research Fund.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.