Experimental study of the electrical and optical properties of the positive column of a glow discharge in molecular gases

The electron-energy distribution functions, total electron density, and band intensity in a glow discharge in pure molecular gases used in CO2 lasers as well as in mixtures of these gases with helium and xenon are studied by experimental probe, HF, and optical techniques. The effect of electron runoff to a cylindrical probe is examined together with its influence on probe characteristics and their derivatives. A method is proposed for obtaining an unperturbed distribution function, and obtained functions are used to calculate the excitation rate of molecular vibrational levels participating in the production of an inverted population. The results of these studies indicate that the electron-energy distribution in mixtures of molecular gases is not Maxwellian.