Mass Spectrometric Study of Argon Afterglow Plasmas

Mass identified measurements of the time dependence of the density of atomic argon ions in decaying plasmas are reported. The measurements yield a mobility μ0(Ar+)=1.55 cm2 V−1·sec−1 for Ar+ in argon at a gas temperature of 300°K, and for the rate of conversion of Ar+ into Ar2+, a value of 1.9×10−31 cm6 sec−1.