[en] The modeling of microwave-sustained discharges at atmospheric pressure is much less advanced than at reduced pressure (<10 Torr) because of the greater complexity of the mechanisms involved. In particular, discharge contraction, a characteristic feature of high-pressure discharges, is not well understood. To describe adequately this phenomenon, one needs to consider that the charged-particle balance in atmospheric-pressure discharges relies on the kinetics of molecular ions, including their dissociation through electron impact. Nonuniform gas heating plays a key role in the radial distribution of the density of molecular ions. The onset of contraction is shown to depend only on radially nonuniform gas heating. The radial nonuniformity of the electric field intensity also plays an important role allowing one, for instance, to explain the lower degree of contraction observed in microwave discharges compared to dc discharges. We present a numerical fluid-plasma model that aims to bring into relief the main features of discharge contraction in rare gases. It calls for surface-wave discharges because of their wide range of operating conditions, enabling a closer check between theory and experiment

[en] At gas pressures >1 kPa, tubular rare-gas electrical discharges can contract radially yielding a single axially centred bright filament. When sustaining the discharge with microwave fields of a high enough frequency, instead of a single filament, two or more smaller-diameter and off-centre plasma filaments can be formed. When a specific percentage (<1%) of a rare gas having a lower ionization potential is added to a pure rare-gas atmospheric-pressure discharge, the single-filament contracted discharge fully expands radially or the initially multi-filament discharge becomes homogeneous. Experimental characteristics of this phenomenon and the required operating conditions are reported here for the first time. (fast track communication)

[en] A self-consistent two-dimensional fluid-plasma model coupled to Maxwell's equations is presented for argon discharges sustained at atmospheric pressure by the propagation of an electromagnetic surface wave. The numerical simulation provides the full axial and radial structure of the surface-wave plasma column and the distribution of the electromagnetic fields for given discharge operating conditions. To describe the contraction phenomenon, a characteristic feature of high-pressure discharges, we consider the kinetics of argon molecular ions in the charged-particle balance. An original feature of the model is to take into account the gas flow by solving self-consistently the mass, momentum, and energy balance equations for neutral particles. Accounting for the gas flow explains reported discrepancies between measured and calculated plasma parameters when assuming the local axial uniformity approximation. In contrast to the low-pressure case, the latter approximation is shown to be of limited validity at atmospheric pressure. The gas temperature is found to be a key parameter in modeling surface-wave discharges sustained at atmospheric pressure. It determines the radial and the axial structure of the plasma column. The calculated plasma parameters and wave propagation characteristics using the present two-dimensional fluid model are in good agreement with our set of experimental data

[en] Broadening due to collisions with charged particles (Stark broadening ) and neutral atoms, was determined for Ar I 522.1, 549.6 and 603.2 nm spectral lines from the spectral series 3p⁵nd-3p⁵4p, in order to evaluate the electron density in a surface-wave discharge at atmospheric pressure.

[en] The surfaguide is a waveguide-based electromagnetic-surface-wave launcher that allows sustaining long plasma columns using microwaves. Its electrodynamic characteristics are examined experimentally and theoretically in the perspective of achieving an efficient plasma source without any need for impedance matching retuning as operating conditions are varied over a broad range. The plasma source design and its modelling using equivalent-circuit theory are described and a simple procedure is provided to determine the optimum dimensions of the surfaguide that maximize the transfer of microwave power to plasma. As an example, with an optimized surfaguide, the reflected power in an N₂ discharge at atmospheric pressure stays below 3% for powers in the 2-6 kW range and gas flow rates in the 30-150 l min^-1 domain under varying concentrations (< 2%) of admixed gases such as SF₆, O₂ and argon