HIGH-VOLTAGE OPTICAL-EMISSION IN BINARY GASEOUS-MIXTURES OF N-2

Optical emission in 1:1 binary gaseous mixtures under high voltage dis plays a varying character depending on pressure, applied voltage polar ity, and chemical nature of the mixture. Under negative polarity, in p ure N-2 and 50% mixture of Ar, O-2 and CO2, emission stemming from N-2 (+) is enhanced relative to emission from neutral N-2. On mixtures of N-2 with gases containing halogens (CCl4, CHCl3, CH2Cl2, CF3H, CF2Cl2 and SF6) a reversal is observed, i.e. the N-2(+) emission is suppresse d. An enhancement factor is defined as the ratio of the emission under negative polarity to positive polarity to quantify this polarity depe ndence. This enhancement factor varies between 0.01 and 50 depending o n the second component in the mixture.