Investigation of a dense highly excited neon plasma

Neon was excited intensely with an electron beam. The densities of the excited species Ne 2 + , Ne(3p), Ne( 3 P 2 ) and Ne 2 ( 3 Sigma ) were investigated using absorption spectrometry. Varying the density of the primary excitation caused large changes in the temporal development of the excited species Ne 2 + and Ne( 3 P 2 ), while the density of Ne 2 ( 3 Sigma ) remained constant. The results are reproduced by a kinetic model. The limits for efficient production and maximum attainable density of rare gas excimers with respect to the input energy are discussed.