The study of dominant physical processes in the time-resolved optogalvanic spectra of neon

Abstract.

We present the dominant physical processes responsible for the production of the optogalvanic signal in the spectra of neon. We have investigated the effects on the optogalvanic signal by scanning a dye laser across the neon transitions in the DC discharge plasma. Time-resolved spectra are obtained at a fixed wavelength of the dye laser resonantly tuned to an optically allowed transition. The temporal evolutions of the signals are registered on a storage oscilloscope. Three transitions from the 3s[1/2]₂ metastable state corresponding to the ΔJ = ΔK = 0, ±1 dipole selection rules have been selected to investigate the dominant physical processes responsible for the optogalvanic signals. The change in the signal amplitude as a function of the discharge current has been registered. In addition the electron collisional ionization rate parameter ratios have been determined for the transitions corresponding to dipole selection rules ΔJ = ΔK = -1, ΔJ = ΔK = 1 and ΔJ = ΔK = 0, as 1.63, 1.75 and 1.0 respectively. The effective lifetimes of the upper levels involved in the aforementioned transitions are also calculated as 62.5 μs, 31.25 μs and 12.85 μs respectively.