Spectroscopic DC argon glow discharge experiment for undergraduate physics laboratories
Abstract
A DC glow discharge set-up was prepared to study the behavior of argon plasma as a function of gas pressure and excitation voltage. The plasma showed a reddish positive column with a few striations and purple negative glow region consistent with other similar studies. Spectroscopy revealed numerous emission peaks in the red and IR region. Most were identified as Ar I peaks. The simplicity of the set-up and the abundance of parameters to explore make it suitable and interesting for undergraduate students.