Hydrodynamic-based measurements of energy deposition in atmospheric pressure plasma jets

Time-resolved gas density and temperature of atmospheric pressure plasma jets were measured using a novel interferometric technique capable of resolving the dynamics of weak shock waves generated by short, repetitive electric discharges. The measured parameters—shock wave velocity and amplitude—were fitted to a hydrodynamic simulation to calculate energy deposition and the resulting gas heating. The deviation between experimental and simulation results near the gas flow axis highlights the importance of the repetitive nature of energy deposition and necessitates further investigation.