Population of 2p 55s levels of neon in He-Ne plasma: I. The evolution of mechanisms in the discharge and the afterglow
The spectroscopic study of population processes of neon 2p55s states was carried out in helium afterglow with small admixture of neon at PHe = 38.1 torr, [He]/[Ne]=10−5 with pulsed discharge afterglow in helium with small admixture of neon (pressure equal to 38.1 mm Hg; ). It is established that the main mechanism of population of 3s2 level (in Paschen’s notation) in the discharge and the initial after-glow is the excitation transfer from metastable atoms of He(21S0). The other three levels—3s3, 3s4, and 3s5—corresponding to 2p55s configuration are populated in the afterglow as a result of the dissociative recombination HeNe+ of ions with electrons. The same process is also the main channel of population of 3s2 level in the late afterglow phase, when the concentration of He(21S0) atoms is small. The hypothesis of recombination mechanism is confirmed by observation of the response of line intensities to pulsed electron heating. The partial coefficients of dissociative recombination into 2p55s states are estimated.