The mechanisms of formation and decay of atoms in N2-H2 plasmas

The formation rate and number densities of H(S-2) and N(S-4) atoms, rate constants of their heterogeneous decay, and some electrophysical characteristics of plasma were measured in the positive column of a dc discharge in an H-1-H-2 gas mixture at a pressure of 266 Pa and a discharge current of 50 mA. From these data, by the combined solution of the Boltzmann equation, vibrational kinetics equations for H-2(X(1)Sigma(g)) and N-2(X(1)Sigma(g)), chemical kinetics equations, and plasma energy and heat balance equations, it was found that vibrationally excited nitrogen molecules must play a substantial role in the formation of both hydrogen and nitrogen atoms.