Pulsed resonant optogalvanic effect in neon discharges

Abstract

Pulsed resonant optogalvanic effect is investigated in a neon hollow cathode discharges utilizing a nitrogen pumped dye laser. We have studied by the pulsed technique transient effects in the discharge plasma such as fast relaxation of level population density and population inversion. The experimental results are correlated with a four states phenomenological model of the pulsed optogalvanic effect taking into account lumped relevant levels of the 3s and 3p manifolds of neon. The time integration of the pulsed optogalvanic siganls (OGS) yields the previously measured cw signals and explains their sign changes.