The effects of an external electric field on the dynamics of cold plasma jets-experimental and computational studies

Atmospheric pressure plasma jets provide a convenient and stable means to transport highly reactive plasma species beyond the confines of the plasma generating electrodes and into the ambient air; such characteristics make them an ideal tool for many emerging plasma processing applications. As the guided streamer exits the jet capillary, the application of an external electric field can significantly influence the dynamics of propagation, potentially providing a means to manipulate the transport of plasma species to a downstream substrate. In this paper the influence of positive and negative voltages pulses applied to an external electrode situated along the axis of streamer propagation is examined experimentally and computationally using a simplified 1.5D model. It is shown that application of a positive voltage pulse to the external electrode reduces the velocity of propagation of the cathode-directed streamer and the application of a negative voltage pulse increases the velocity of propagation. Further to this, the application of high positive voltages to the external electrodes effectively inhibits propagation and results in a significant decrease in the emission intensity from excited states populated by energetic electrons. The results obtained experimentally are compared and contrasted with those from the computational model to uncover the underlying physical mechanisms at play.