Abstract. Calculated trajectories of ions with different masses, indicating the possibility of a mixture separation, are obtained. Comparative experiments for plasma of monatomic and polyatomic gases (Ar, N 2 , CO 2 ), upon combination of pulsed discharge with a stationary one with incandescent cathode, are carried out. The oscillograms of discharge current and voltage at low emission currents and a constant energy input show that energy is spent on other processes different from ionization. With an increase of emission current, the nonlinear character of the discharge current and voltage, which may be indicative of the role of dissociation and vibrational levels in energy consumption, is observed. In addition, there is connection between the number of atoms in molecule and the values of maximum discharge current and the pressure of injected gas.

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