Glow discharge in singlet oxygen

Currently, there is no experimental data on the plasma balance in gas mixtures with a high content of singlet delta oxygen O2(1Δg). These data can be obtained by studying the parameters of an electric discharge in singlet oxygen produced by a chemical generator. The O2(1Δg) molecules significantly change the kinetics of electrons and negative ions in plasma. Hence, the discharge conditions at low and high O2(1Δg) concentrations are very different. Here, the parameters of the positive column of a glow discharge in a gas flow from a chemical singlet-oxygen generator are studied. It is experimentally shown that, at an O2(1Δg) concentration of 50% and at pressures of 1.5 and 2 torr, the electric field required to sustain the discharge is considerably lower than in the case when all of the oxygen molecules are in the ground state. A theoretical model of the glow discharge is proposed whose predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data