AbstractsPhysics

The excitation of helium by high energy proton bombardment at various pressures.

by Bernard John Jr Tullington




Institution: Naval Postgraduate School
Department:
Year: 1968
Record ID: 1532117
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/28197


Abstract

The intensities of several helium spectral lines are analyzed for their dependence on pressure. Neutral helium was bombarded by protons, accelerated in a Van de Graaff generator to energies of 1.6 MeV before they passed through an aluminum foil window into the collision chamber. Eight helium emission lines and one nitrogen line (impurity) were detected by photographic analysis of the collision spectrum at various pressures. Relative intensities of five of the helium emission lines were measured with photoelectric apparatus at pressures from 0.00001 - 550 Torr. Lines of 6678A, 7281A, 7065A and 5876A show a similar, but not exact, functional dependence on pressure. The 3889A line appears to have a quite different pressure dependence thay may possibly be due to the nitrogen impurity. Suggested experimental improvements are discussed.