Spectroscopic diagnosis of striation in hollow cathode discharge

The characteristics of striations in cylindrical hollow cathode discharge were investigated experimentally. The emission intensity and spectra of striations were measured, and the spatial characteristics of electron excitation temperature and relative electron density were calculated. It is shown that the emission intensity, the electron excitation temperature and the electron density appear as a periodic structure. The electrons have higher excitation temperature but lower density in the bright regions compared with the dark regions. The electron excitation temperature in the bright regions decreases from the cathode to the anode. It is also shown that the electron excitation temperature increases with increasing current.