Title: Three regimes of high-voltage breakdown in helium

Journal Article · · Plasma Sources Science and Technology
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3]
  1. Univ. of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  2. Princeton Plasma Physics Lab. (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
  3. General Electric Global Research, Niskayuna, NY (United States)
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A quasi-analytical model has been developed to map out the low-pressure (left-hand) branch of the Paschen curve at very high voltage when electrons are in the runaway regime and charge exchange/ionization avalanche by ions and fast neutral atoms becomes important. The model has been applied to helium gas between parallel-plate electrodes, at potentials ranging in magnitude between 10 and 1000 kilovolt. The respective value of reduced electric field E/n varies in the range of 50-6000 kTd (1 kTd =10-18Vm2), with reduced density nd (where n is the gas density and d is the interelectrode distance) on the order of 1020m-2 . The analytical Paschen curve is compared to those obtained with a detailed Particle-In-Cell/Monte Carlo (PIC/MCC) simulation, and also to experimental measurements. The model provides accurate predictions for E/n up to ~103 kTd , constrained by availability and quality of required input data.

Research Organization:
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), Princeton, NJ (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-09CH11466; AR0000298
OSTI ID:
1511437
Journal Information:
Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Journal Name: Plasma Sources Science and Technology Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 27; ISSN 1361-6595
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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