A self-consistent hybrid model of kinetic striations in low-current Argon discharges

A self-consistent hybrid model of standing and moving striations was developed for low-current DC discharges in noble gases. We introduced the concept of surface diffusion in phase space (r,u) (where u denotes the electron kinetic energy) described by a tensor diffusion in the nonlocal Fokker-Planck kinetic equation for electrons in the collisional plasma. Electrons diffuse along surfaces of constant total energy ε=u-eφ(r) between energy jumps in inelastic collisions with atoms. Numerical solutions of the 1d1u kinetic equation for electrons were obtained by two methods and coupled to ion transport and Poisson solver. We studied the dynamics of striation formation in Townsend and glow discharges in Argon gas at low discharge currents using a two-level excitation-ionization model and a “full-chemistry” model, which includes stepwise and Penning ionization. Standing striations appeared in Townsend and glow discharges at low currents, and moving striations were obtained for the discharge currents exceeding a critical value. These waves originate at the anode and propagate towards the cathode. We have seen two types of moving striations with the 2-level and full-chemistry models, which resemble the s and p striations previously observed in the experiments. Simulations indicate that processes in the anode region could control moving striations in the positive column plasma. The developed model helps clarify the nature of standing and moving striations in DC discharges of noble gases at low discharge currents and low gas pressures.

Short Communication: Mechanism and Prevention of Irreversible Trapping of Atmospheric He During Mineral Crushing

A pervasive challenge in noble gas geochemistry is to ensure that analytical techniques do not modify the composition of the noble gases in the samples. Noble gases are present in the atmosphere and are used in a number of manufacturing procedures and by laboratory equipment. Of particular concern is the introduction of atmospheric or laboratory noble gases to samples during preparation before samples are placed in a vacuum chamber for analysis. Recent work has shown the potential for contamination of crushed samples with air-derived He that is not released by placing the samples under vacuum at low temperature. Using pure He gas as a tracer, we show that the act of crushing samples to a fine powder itself can introduce He contamination, but that this is easily avoided by crushing under liquid or in an inert atmosphere. Because the He is trapped during crushing, the same concern does not extend to samples that are naturally fine-grained when collected. The degree of He contamination even from crushing samples to sizes smaller than typically used for geochronology is insignificant for samples at least 1 Ma and with more than 1 ppm U when the guidelines outlined here are followed.

An anisotropic dressed pairwise potential model for the adsorption of noble gases on boron nitride sheets

Development of empirical potentials with accurate parameterization is indispensable while modeling large-scale systems. Herein, we report accurate parameterization of an anisotropic dressed pairwise potential model (PPM) for probing the adsorption...

MODELING OF ATOMIC SYSTEMS AND POSITIONING OF ELEMENTS OF NOBLE GASES OF THE PERIODIC TABLE BY PROPORTIONAL DIVISION METHOD

This paper studies regularities of proportional division, on the basis of which we show the possibility of effective application of the golden section method to modeling regularities of atomic systems and positioning of elements of noble gases of the periodic table. It is illustrated that by partial reconstruction of the Mendeleev tables, the elements of noble gases can be arranged along lines whose slope tangents in the coordinate system “the atomic number – the relative atomic mass” are in close agreement with the sequence of inverse Fibonacci numbers. It was shown that given the correct slope of axes, slope tangents of the corresponding lines does not change.

Revisiting The Trapping of Noble Gases (He – Kr) By The Triatomic H3+ and Li3+ Species: A Density Functional Reactivity Theory Study

Small atomic clusters with exotic stability, bonding, aromaticity and reactivity properties can be made use of for various purposes. In this work, we revisit the trapping of noble gas atoms (He – Kr) by the triatomic H3+ and Li3+ species by using some analytical tools from density functional theory, conceptual density functional theory, and the information-theoretic approach. Our results showcase that though similar in geometry, H3+ and Li3+ exhibit markedly different behaviour in bonding, aromaticity, and reactivity properties after the addition of noble gas atoms. Moreover, the exchange-correlation interaction and steric effect are key energy components in stablizing the clusters. This study also finds that the origin of the molecular stability of these species is due to the spatial delocalization of the electron density distribution. Our work provides an additional arsenal towards better understanding of small atomic clusters capturing noble gases.

The angular pattern in the hyperfine structure of Xe I and Kr I atoms

Recent reviews of the hyperfine structure of xenon and krypton have highlighted the variety of the values taken by the hyperfine coefficients A and B of these atoms. These variations, as functions of the atomic angular momenta, were however not explained quantitatively. This article shows the simple picture and angular momentum algebra that make it possible to account for the observed trend. The only necessary approximations are to consider the interaction of the outer electron negligible with respect to the coupling of the p5 core with the nucleus, and to assume that the Racah ||(p5)j l[K]J F〉basis, conventionally used for the atomic states of noble gases, makes a fitting description of the hierarchy of their angular momentum couplings. The way the calculation corroborates the apparently erratic values of hyperfine coefficients A and B in Xe I and Kr I shows up as a confirmation of the validity of these approximations.