Electro-optical and thermal characteristics of dense pulsed discharge plasmas in inert gases

The power balance of a quasistationary pulsed discharge in a quartz tube filled with xenon and neon is examined. Experimental data are presented on the electrical conductivity, spectral coefficient of continuous absorption, spectrally integrated radiative flux, thermal conductivity, and spectral distribution of the emission efficiency of the plasma from the discharge channel. The influence of the interparticle interaction on the radiative (absorption) and transport properties of dense inert gas plasmas is discussed. Questions of practical importance concerning the efficiency of pulsed discharges as light sources are raised.