The Measurement of Current Column Plasma Parameters in the Glow Discharge at Increased Pressure

Results of the probe and thermocouple measurements of the constricted stationary glow dis charge in nitrogen and air at pressures up to 60 Torr are given. It was shown that the main energy processes in the column are the heating of the gas and its vibrational excitation. The balance of charged particles is determined by the electron‐ion recombination and the stepwise ionization through metastable levels of nitrogen molecules. The results obtained can be used in the numerical simulation of a moving filament during the current constriction in the glow discharge.