Populations of excited atomic states along argon surface-wave plasma columns at low and intermediate pressures

The axial distributions of the electrons and 3p(5)4s and 3p(5)4p excited atoms in argon plasma columns sustained by traveling electromagnetic waves have been studied both experimentally and theoretically in the gas pressure range of 0.2-2.8 Torr. Various diagnostic methods (surface-wave interferometry, emission and absorption spectroscopy) have been used in data gathering. The theoretical model includes a self-consistent solution to the electron Boltzmann equation, electron energy balance equation, a set of balance equations for excited atoms and charged particles, the gas thermal balance equation, the wave dispersion relation, and the wave energy balance equation. The agreement between experimental data and theoretical results is very good. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(00)00411-4].