Measurements of electric fields in a discharge plasma using laser optogalvanic detection of the stark effect of argon atoms

The spatial distribution of the electric field in the vicinity of a cathode in a de glow discharge in argon gas was studied. The effect of the electri c field on the laser-optogalvanic (LOG) spectra of argon atoms was used to determine the electric field. The magnitude of the electric field F was det ermined by comparing the experimental LOG spectra of argon atoms with a set of corresponding theoretically obtained spectra calculated for different v alues of F. The effect of the electric field gradient within the spatial wi dth of the laser beam was taken into account.