The parameters and transport properties of a wall stabilized argon arc (40-200 A) at atmospheric pressure with diameters of 5 and 8 mm are studied by spectroscopy and interferometry. The plasma is assumed to be partial local thermal equilibrium and this assumption is verified with the aid of a collisional-radiative model. The departures from Saha-equilibrium of the argon neutral ground state are found to be associated with particle diffusion and the escape of recombination radiation. The measurement of the total excitation rate, from the ground level, including direct ionization, of neutral argon is in reasonable agreement with the literature value.
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