Power deposition in H2 and H2N2 glow discharges

Analyses and experiments on the fractional dissociation of H2 in glow discharges in pure H2, and in H2N2 mixtures are reported. The fractional power deposited in the dissociation of H2 calculated from the Boltzmann transport analysis compares well with that required by our experimental data for absolute H atom densities. The analysis also provides generic guidelines towards identification of dominant dissociation processes in molecular gas mixture discharges. The results for low current current glow discharges in H2N2 mixtures show that the vibrational energy reservoir of N2(X1Σg+, ν) must direcly or indirectly be an important factor in the dissociation of H2.