Studies on an obstructed glow discharge in helium

An obstructed glow discharge in helium has been investigated both experimentally and by means of discharge modeling. The voltage-current characteristics of the discharge have been measured and the spatial distribution of the electric field between the electrodes was determined using Stark spectroscopy. The electric field distribution was determined by a self-consistent calculation and the results showed a good agreement with data obtained from Stark measurements. Other discharge parameters (average velocity of charged particles, energy distribution of electrons absorbed by the anode and spatial distribution of ion production) were also obtained from the modeling to provide detailed insight into the discharge operation. (author)