Changes in the energy characteristics caused by pulseperiodic operation of electron-beam-controlled discharges in CO2–N2–He mixtures and in technical-grade nitrogen

A study was made of the changes in the characteristics of electron-beam-controlled discharges in CO2–N2–He mixtures and in technical-grade nitrogen which resulted from the operation of the laser in a pulse-periodic regime. It was established that in the range E/p≤5 kV cm−1 atm−1 and for specific input energies not exceeding 500 J liter−1 atm−1 the changes in the discharge characteristics of the investigated CO2–N2–He mixtures and technical-grade nitrogen were entirely due to the action of the electron beam. The reduction in the specific input energy was due to the formation, as a result of plasmachemical reactions, of nitrogen oxides whose molecules had very large (~10−10 cm3/sec) electron-attachment rate constants.