Production of Molecular Oxygen using a Capacitevly-Coupled Radio-Frequency Discharge in a Carbon Dioxide Gas Mixture

We have studied the production of molecular oxygen using a radio-frequency capacitively-coupled discharge in a simulated Martian atmosphere (95{\%} CO$_{2}$, $\sim $5 torr). The concentration of molecular oxygen within the chamber was measured using continuous-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CW-CRDS). Oxygen concentration measurements were made at discharge powers ranging from approximately 5 W to 10 W. The discharge temperature was monitored using the CO rotational emission spectrum..