Generation and characterization of atmospheric plasma torch array

Summary form only given. Using a capacitively coupled electrical discharge, an array of plasma torches can be produced simultaneously by using a common 60 cycle power source (i.e. a simple wall plug) at atmospheric pressure. The size of each torch depends on the geometry of the electrode pair and the streaming speed of the air flow. Such a flat panel plasma torch array can be made into the desired volume and plasma density. A laser beam is used to measure the dimensions of the torch. It is found that each torch has a radius of about 1 cm and a height of about 6.5 cm. Surprisingly, it is shown that the torch can cause up to 80% modulation of the laser beam intensity. From the voltage and current measurements, the average power consumption of each torch is estimated to be 0.6 kW. The electron density can also be estimated and is found to exceed 10/sup 13/ cm/sup -3/.