Spectral properties of a diffuse-constricted arc discharge

An extensive high-current electric discharge under atmospheric pressure is characterized by considerable instability, unless special measures for its stabilization are assumed (e.g., by the walls, electrodes, rotational twist, etc.). For the experimental investigation of such a discharge, both the complex diagnostics of electrical and spectral properties have been applied, supplemented with synchronous video filming of the discharge gap. The information on the spectral composition of the radiation of different discharge sections can be obtained by measuring with a system of optical fibers. Spectral measurements at the selected point of space at various moments of time make it possible to determine the alteration dynamics of plasma composition near the reference spots, as well as far from them.