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ISOCTA
Institute for Scientific Operations, Cryogenics & Technical Applications
[IMAGE: Cylindrical vacuum chamber with multiple flanged ports, surrounded by cabling, RF equipment, and diagnostic instruments on an optical table]
Figure 1: The helicon plasma source in Building 4. The 1.5 m vacuum chamber (centre) is surrounded by diagnostic ports for Langmuir probes, optical emission spectroscopy, and magnetic field sensors. The RF matching network is visible at lower left.
The Plasma & Thermal Sciences Division, led by Dr. Irina Volkova, spans low-temperature plasma physics, vacuum arc technology, and thermal hydraulics at industrially relevant scales. The group operates plasma chambers in Building 4 and collaborates closely with the Thermal Systems group in Building 6.
Plasma Facilities
Helicon plasma source — RF-driven (13.56 MHz), ne up to 1019 m−3, B-field up to 0.12 T. [details]
Atmospheric-pressure plasma jet — He/O2 feed gas, dielectric barrier configuration, used for biomedical surface treatment studies. [details]
Vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnace — Laboratory-scale, water-cooled copper crucible, 2 kA DC supply. Used for refractory alloy processing trials. [details]
Pulsed power supply — 50 kJ capacitor bank, 10 kV, <5 μs rise time for pulsed plasma experiments and electromagnetic forming studies. [details]
Diagnostic Capabilities
Single and double Langmuir probes (RF-compensated)
Optical emission spectroscopy (200–900 nm)
Retarding field energy analyser
B-dot probe array for magnetic field mapping
High-speed imaging (up to 50,000 fps)
Quadrupole mass spectrometer for plasma species identification
[IMAGE: View through a darkened observation window showing a bright electric arc inside a vacuum chamber with copper electrodes]
Figure 2: Vacuum arc remelting trial in progress. The arc is visible through the viewing port (centre of image). The copper crucible and water cooling jacket are contained within the vacuum chamber.