Eur. Phys. J. D (2014) 68: 140
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjd/e2014-40844-9

Regular Article

A novel method for the detection of plasma jet boundaries by exploring DNA damage^*

¹ Department of Physical Sciences, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
² Radiation Laboratory and Department of Physics, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA

^a e-mail: a.stypczynska@open.ac.uk

Received: 31 December 2013
Received in final form: 5 March 2014
Published online: 5 June 2014

Abstract

In this study we have investigated the plasma-air boundary of an atmospheric pressure discharge by exposing samples of dry plasmid DNA to a plasma jet. While visible emission from excited plasma species suggested that the plasma jet had dimensions approximately 5.5 cm long and 0.4 cm wide, damage to DNA samples was detected at distances of up to 20 cm from the tip of the jet with observable effects far outside the luminous plasma volume. Reactive oxygen species were identified as the most likely cause of DNA damage at these long distances. These results provide a novel method for determining the extent of any kind of plasma jet generated in the open atmosphere.