Time and space resolved Langmuir probe measurements of a pulsed vacuum arc plasma

The time and space evolution of pulsed vacuum arc plasma parameters have been measured using a single cylindrical Langmuir probe in a free expansion cup. Electron density ne, effective electron temperature Teff and electron energy distribution function (EEDF) are derived from the I–V curves using Druyvesteyn method. Results show that during the discharge time, the electron density ne is between 0.27 and 1.82 × 1018 m−3 and the effective electron temperature Teff is between 6.14 and 14.72 eV, both of which decrease as a function of the discharge time. The electron energy distribution function (EEDF) is no-Maxwellian since the high-energy electrons depart from the Maxwellian distribution. Due to the plasma expansion, the electron density ne decreases as increase of the expansion distance, but the effective electron temperature Teff is weakly dependent on the distance in the free expansion cup.