Influence of the electrode shape on the optical radiation of a high-pressure short-arc xenon discharge plasma

A short-arc high-pressure xenon discharge with a thoriated tungsten cathode (this is the reason for the presence of thorium atoms in the discharge gap) is investigated depending on the shape of the electrode surface. Based on the previously developed model, the electrokinetic characteristics and optical radiation of the plasma are calculated. It is shown that the shape of the electrode surface (the shape of the anode surface is considered in more detail) strongly affects, first of all, the electric field in the discharge gap, which, in turn, determines the plasma temperature and the spatial distributions of thorium atoms and charged particles (thorium and xenon ions). The resulting change in the electrokinetic characteristics significantly affects the optical radiation of the plasma, allowing the choice of the shape of the electrode surface to obtain the prevalence of radiation in the ultraviolet, visible, or infrared regions of the spectrum.