Microwave and Optical Gas Discharges in Superstrong Pulsed Fields
- Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of General Physics (Russian Federation)
A review is given of theoretical papers on gas breakdown in high-power pulsed microwave and optical fields under conditions such that the electron oscillatory energy in the wave field is much higher than the ionization energy of gas atoms. In microwave fields, which are much weaker than the atomic field, the ionization mechanism for gas atoms is governed by electron-impact avalanche ionization. In high-power optical fields that are comparable in strength to the atomic field, the gas atoms are ionized via the tunneling of the bound electrons. It is shown that, in both cases, the electrons obey similar, highly anisotropic distributions, thereby strongly affecting the stability of the discharge plasma.
- OSTI ID:
- 22149340
- Journal Information:
- Plasma Physics Reports, Journal Name: Plasma Physics Reports Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 27; ISSN PPHREM; ISSN 1063-780X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Statistical effects in high-power microwave beam propagation
FORMATION OF LOCALIZED PLASMAS IN PULSED MICROWAVE DISCHARGE
Self-consistent evolution of plasma discharge and electromagnetic fields in a microwave pulse compressor
Conference
·
Wed Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988
·
OSTI ID:7167952
FORMATION OF LOCALIZED PLASMAS IN PULSED MICROWAVE DISCHARGE
Journal Article
·
Sun Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1961
· J. Phys. Soc. Japan
·
OSTI ID:4791999
Self-consistent evolution of plasma discharge and electromagnetic fields in a microwave pulse compressor
Journal Article
·
Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2015
· Physics of Plasmas
·
OSTI ID:22490985