EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY OF A MERCURY HIGH-PRESSURE DISCHARGE IN THE COURSEOF ITS START-UP PHASE

This work deals with an experimental study of the start-up phase of a mercury high-pressure discharge. We demonstrate, by using electrical a nd spectroscopic measurements, that a steady-state discharge can be sa id to be equivalent to a specific stage of the warm-up phase if, for a given current, are voltage together with several spectral line intens ities are the same in both states. Subsequently using these measuremen ts we were able to: (i) determine the evolution of the electric field and the voltage drop at the electrodes in the course of a start-up pha se; and (ii) establish that the determination of the excitation temper ature of Hg and Ar excited levels gives us a first indication concerni ng discharge thermalization and local thermodynamic equilibrium hypoth esis limits. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.