Electric field measurement in an atmospheric or higher pressure gas by coherent Raman scattering of nitrogen

The feasibility of electric field measurement based on field-induced coherent Raman scattering is demonstrated for the first time in a nitrogen containing gas at atmospheric or higher pressure, including open air. The technique is especially useful for the determination of temporal and spatial profiles of the electric field in air-based microdischarges, where nitrogen is abundant. In our current experimental setup, the minimum detectable field strength in open air is about 100 V mm−1, which is sufficiently small compared with the average field present in typical microdischarges. No further knowledge of other gas/plasma parameters such as the nitrogen density is required.