High-pressure pulsed avalanche discharges: Formulas for required preionization density and rate for homogeneity
- Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden)
The requirements on preionization for the formation of spatially homogeneous pulsed avalanche discharges are examined. The authors derive two formulas which apply in the case of a slowly rising electric field, one which gives the required preionization density at breakdown, and one which gives the required preionization rate. These quantities are expressed as functions of the electrochemical properties of the gas, the neutral density, and the electric field rise time. They also treat the statistical effect that the electrons tend to form groups, in contrast to being randomly distributed in space, during the prebreakdown phase. This process is found to increase the required preionization rate significantly, typically by a factor of five for a discharge at atmospheric pressure. Homogeneous high-pressure discharges have been used for laser excitation, and have also been proposed for chemical plasma processing (ozone production) because of their good scaling properties and high efficiency.
- OSTI ID:
- 471125
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science, Vol. 25, Issue 1; Other Information: PBD: Feb 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Study of x-ray preionized avalanche discharge XeCl laser at high gas pressures
Bent paths of a positive streamer and a cathode-directed spark leader in diffuse discharges preionized by runaway electrons