Arc expansion in xenon flashlamps

Abstract

Plasma arcs in large diameter (d>1 cm) xenon flashlamps often do not completely fill the bore of the discharge tube. The arc is usually initiated on one side of the discharge tube, adjacent to the ground plane, and the fraction of the discharge tube filled with plasma varies as a function of axial location. A model is presented that describes, from first principles, arc expansion in xenon flashlamps. The model simultaneously solves a coupled set of one-dimensional transport equations in different regions of the discharge tube to simulate two-dimensional effects in hydrodynamics, electron kinetics, and radiation transport. Using this method, expansion of arcs initiated at arbitrary locations within the discharge tube can be studied. Arc filling fractions are found to decrease with increasing filling pressure of xenon, increasing diameter of the discharge tube, and decreasing stored energy in the discharge circuit. The arc filling fraction also decreases as the breakdown filament moves away from the axis of the discharge tube and towards the wall. Arc expansion is slowed and ultimately halted by a lowered E/N (electric field/gas density) in the gas exterior to the arc, rapid conversion of atomic ions to molecular ions and their subsequent recombination, and by the efficient manner in which radiation dissipates energy which might otherwise be available for thermodynamic expansion of the arc. The asymmetric expansion of the plasma arc results in asymmetric heating of the inside wall of the discharge tube, also calculated in the model. The growth of the plasma arc is also found to be in part responsible for changes in the spectrum of radiation emitted from the arc for various angles of observation. This effect results from wavelength-dependent absorption coefficients in the plasma.