The possibility of achieving the breakoff of the vibrational temperature of nitrogen in a decaying plasma at high pressure

An experimental study shows that, when they are mixed with nitrogen molecules in the prenozzle chamber, nitrogen atoms produced in a plasmatron arc are capable of sustaining a nonequilibrium gaseous state for a long period of time. This nonequilibrium state leads to a divergence between the gas temperature and the excitation temperature. Taking into account the lifetime of excited states of the metal (which does not exceed 0.00001 sec), it is noted that the metal is excited via the excited nitrogen; here the vibrational temperature of nitrogen must be not less than the excitation temperature of the metal. A breakoff of the vibrational temperature of 1400 + or - 300 K is achieved when nitrogen is injected through a plasmatron in the prenozzle chamber at a pressure of 3.0-5.0 MPa and a gas-kinetic temperature of 1300 + or - 300 K.