Various laser diagnostics are used to study the cathode-fall and negative-glow regions of a He glow discharge with a cold Al cathode. The electric field and absolute metastable densities are mapped and the gas temperature is measured over a range of current densities from a near-normal (173 V) to a highly abnormal (600 V) cathode fall. These measurements are analyzed to yield the current balance at the cathode surface, the ionization rate in the cathode-fall region, and the metastable production rate in the cathode-fall and negative-glow regions. The experimental results compare favorably with the results of Monte Carlo simulations. The density and temperature of the low-energy electron gas in the negative glow is determined by combining information from the experiments and Monte Carlo simulations.

• Received 4 April 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.38.2471