From:
"www.multichannel.se" <hh@NOSPAMmultichannel.se>
Newsgroups:
sci.physics.plasma
Subject: simultaneous
(UV-NIR) measurements and zero gravity
Organization:
www.multichannel.se
Reply-To: "www.multichannel.se"
<hh@NOSPAMmultichannel.se>
PRESS RELEASE in OLE
(Opto&Laser Europe) January/February 2001
A Mechelle 7500
spectrograph from Swedish company Multichannel Instruments
will experience
zero gravity later this year when, as par of an experiment
by researchers
at Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, it takes off on
an A300
Airbus. The spectrograph will be used to make true simultaneous
ultraviolet
- near infrared (UV-NIR) measurements on a plasma that is
created by an
arch discharge between two graphite electrodes during zero
gravity. Carbon
nanotubes and fullerenes can be made in arc-discharge
plasma. By
controlling the plasma parameters with respect to gravity, the
production
of such carbon forms can be influenced. When the plasma is
activated the
spectra content of the emitted light will be analysed. This
will give the
researchers an idea of the local plasma parameters, such as
temperature
and species concentration. The spectrograph is particularly
suited to the
experiment because it has no moving parts and has a fast
response time. In
the experiment zero gravity conditions for only 20 s.
Image link:
http://www.multichannel.se/images/avion.gif
For more
information:
Doctor Jean-Michel Beuken
Université Catholique de
Louvain, Belgium
Phone: +32 10 47 35
70
URL: http://www.pcpm.ucl.ac.be/~beuken
or
Multichannel Instruments
AB
http://www.multichannel.se/
Phone: + 46 8 6057090
Fax. +46 8
6057101