Etude spectroscopique des vapeurs de cuivre d'un arc en rotation dans l'argon contaminé

An emission spectroscopy study was performed on a magnetically rotated electric arc between two concentric copper electrodes. Two methods were proposed to analyse the recordings of the line intensities as the arc column passed in front of the optical system.The averaging of a series of intensity profiles was the first method. Consistancy between the average value of some parameters applied to these profiles and the value of these parameters on the average quantity was checked. Volumetric emissivity profiles were then obtained.The second method consisted of electronic integration of line intensities during several arc passings. The proportionality between this average intensity and the maximum emissivity in the arc column was checked.These two methods were used to determine the copper vapour density and the arc temperature as a function of two contaminants in the main argon flux: carbon monoxyde and nitrogen. The temperature was slightly superior to 7500 K in the first case and slightly inferior in the second. Maximum copper vapour density found was 5 10$ sp{21}$ m$ sp{-3}$ in argon contaminated with carbon monoxide. It was probably higher than 10$ sp{22}$ m$ sp{-3}$ in Argon contaminated with nitrogen