Determination of the temperature of electrons heated by microwaves from the spectral line intensities emitted by the neon afterglow plasma

The electron temperature dependence of the dissociative recombination coefficient of Ne2+ ions with electrons was investigated in the afterglow of a pulsed high frequency discharge using both microwave cavity and optical emission spectrometry methods. The present experimental results show the close correlation between the relative intensities of the emitted lines, the electron temperature and the incident microwave power. It is proposed to calibrate the electron temperature as a function of absorbed microwave power by measuring the spectral line intensities from Ne(3p) to Ne(3s) transitions. It is confirmed that the electron temperature dependence of the dissociative recombination coefficient of molecular Ne2+ ions follows the power law Te-0.42.