Detection of HO2 in an atmospheric pressure plasma jet using optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy

Abstract

Cold non-equilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets are increasingly applied in material processing and plasma medicine. However, their small dimensions make diagnosing the fluxes of generated species a challenge. Here we report on the detection of the hydroperoxyl radical,HO2, in the effluent of a plasma jet by the use of optical feedback cavity-enhanced absorption spectroscopy. The spectrometer has aminimumdetectable absorption coefficient amin of 2.25 ´10-10 cm−1 with a 100 second acquisition, equivalent to 5.5 ´ 1012 cm-3 ofHO2 (under ideal conditions). Concentrations in the range of (3.1–7.8) ×1013 cm−3 were inferred in the 4mmwide effluent of the plasma jet.