Traveling wave model for laser-guided discharges
- Plasma Physics Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC 20375 (United States)
We present an easily solvable 1D traveling wave model for laser-guided discharges. By assuming constant propagation speed u, the hydro/electrodynamic/chemistry equations are reduced to ordinary differential equations in retarded time {tau}. Negative discharges are shown to propagate only if u>{mu}E{sub b}, where {mu} is electron mobility and E{sub b} is the breakdown field; positive discharges propagate only if the channel preconductance exceeds {approx}6x10{sup -11} m/{Omega}. The axial electric field E is shown to spike up to several times E{sub b} and then relax to {approx}E{sub b} for as long as the gas remains cold. In this streamer region, the channel conductance, current, and potential all increase linearly with {tau}. The transition to the leader stage, where E is much smaller, occurs in two steps: excitation of vibrational and low-lying electronic states, then gas heating. The propagation range decreases as a function of initial radius and (for given maximum voltage) of the voltage rise rate. Expansion of the hot channel is shown to increase the range.
- OSTI ID:
- 21532033
- Journal Information:
- Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 17, Issue 11; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3494160; (c) 2010 American Institute of Physics; ISSN 1070-664X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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