On the role of 'hot' atoms in plasma-assisted ignition.

This paper discusses the processes leading to the formation of 'hot' atoms and radicals possessing excessive translational energy in high-voltage NS pulse discharges. It is shown that the formation of such 'hot' atoms occurs efficiently both in the dissociation of molecules by direct electron impact, and in the collisional quenching of electronically excited states. Depending on the magnitude of the reduced electric field in the discharge, reactions of these 'hot' atoms increase the initial concentration of radicals in the discharge afterglow two to three times when compared with the values calculated without effects of translational non-equilibrium.