Basic Research in Microplasmas

Atmospheric or higher pressure nonequilibrium or cold plasmas are susceptible to instabilities and the lifetime of the discharge depends various parameters such as the gas attachingnon-attaching, atomicmolecular, pure gasgas mixture, the applied external electric field DC, pulsed, or AC, and the magnitude of the discharge current. Various approaches have been pursued to stabilize atmospheric pressure discharges by extending the lifetime of the discharge to hundreds of microseconds. The most promising stabilization approaches are based on the recognition that arc formation in high-pressure plasmas can be avoided and stable high-pressure plasmas can be generated and maintained when the plasmas are spatially constricted to dimensions of tens to hundreds of microns. These types of discharges have come to be known as microdischarges or microplasmas. This project conducted basic research in microplasmas at atmospheric or higher pressures. A further and very important objective of this project was to address the major national concern of attracting young people to science and science-related careers.