Glow discharge in a transverse supersonic gas flow at low pressures

Abstract

A low-pressure glow discharge in a transverse supersonic gas flow was experimentally studied for the case where the flow only partially fills the interelectrode gap. It is shown that the space region with supersonic gas flow has a higher concentration of gas particles and, therefore, works as a charged particle generator. The near-electrode regions of glow discharge are concentrated specifically in this region. This structure of glow discharge is promising for plasma deposition of coatings under ultralow pressures.