Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 March 2009
Sensitivity analysis is a powerful first-order mathematical technique that identifies the major reactions, the effects of errors in rate constants, pressure effects, and temperature effects in a plasma chemistry type model. Several methods of sensitivity analysis have been discussed in the literature. This paper describes the successful implementation of the state transition matrix method to the sensitivity analysis of a plasma chemistry model using both e-beams and ions for excitation. The ion excited plasma study is important to the field of nuclear-pumped lasers. This model examines 8 species and 37 reactions.