Measurements of electron avalanche formation time in W-band microwave air breakdown

Journal Article · Mon Aug 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011 · Physics of Plasmas

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3626383· OSTI ID:22043374

Cook, Alan M; Hummelt, Jason S; Shapiro, Michael A; Temkin, Richard J ^[1]

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1. Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 167 Albany St., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

We present measurements of formation times of electron avalanche ionization discharges induced by a focused 110 GHz millimeter-wave beam in atmospheric air. Discharges take place in a free volume of gas, with no nearby surfaces or objects. When the incident field amplitude is near the breakdown threshold for pulsed conditions, measured formation times are {approx}0.1-2 {mu}s over the pressure range 5-700 Torr. Combined with electric field breakdown threshold measurements, the formation time data shows the agreement of 110 GHz air breakdown with the similarity laws of gas discharges.

• OSTI ID: 22043374
• Journal Information: Physics of Plasmas, Vol. 18, Issue 8; Other Information: (c) 2011 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1070-664X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
AIR
AMPLITUDES
BEAMS
BREAKDOWN
ELECTRIC FIELDS
HIGH-FREQUENCY DISCHARGES
IONIZATION
MICROWAVE RADIATION
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
PLASMA PRESSURE