Application of optical vortex to laser-induced fluorescence velocimetry of ions in a plasma

Abstract

Atoms moving in an optical vortex beam are subjected to the azimuthal Doppler effect in addition to the usual longitudinal Doppler effect. This fact extends the capabilities of plasma flow measurement using laser-induced fluorescence to the direction perpendicular to the laser path by employing optical vortex beams. Furthermore, by assuming a uniform flow traversing the beam, the LIF spectrum undergoes deformation due to the spatial dependence of the resonant absorption condition. Preliminary experiments were performed for metastable argon ions in the vicinity of a negatively biased electrode immersed in a plasma. An increase in the standard deviation of the spectrum was observed when a negative voltage was applied to the electrode, which qualitatively agrees with our previous numerical study.