Plasma Laboratory - Weizmann Institute of Science

Diagnostics

Plasma diagnostics are experimental techniques used to measure properties of a plasma such as temperature and density. In our lab we focus on employing plasma spectroscopy methods.

Since the 1980’s, spectroscopy has been applied to understand the detailed operation of a variety of pulsed power sources including ion diodes, plasma opening switches, and z-pinches. In the application of spectroscopy to understand a particular aspect of these pulsed power technologies, spectroscopy by its very nature elucidates various aspects of the fundamental physics involved.

One generally distinguishes between passive and active spectroscopy. Passive spectroscopy simply investigates the radiation emitted by the plasma, while in active spectroscopic methods one stimulates, usually with lasers, the plasma atoms  or ions in some way and observes the resulting radiative emission.


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Modified on: 2010-02-22

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