Virtual anode effect in the propagation of positive streamers

Abstract

Experiments made in a parallel-plate arrangement, where one of the plates is the ground plane and the other a positively charged dielectric sheet, show that at low air pressure the dielectric injects streamers onto the surrounding air. The similarities and differences between the streamers thus produced and those emitted from electrodes are discussed. The streamers here obtained were found to have diameters and speeds that are clearly dependent on pressure. Often the streamers were seen to decelerate markedly to the point of coming to a complete stop and on occasions even returning back to the dielectric they came from. The deceleration and the reflection of the streamers are attributed to a virtual anode created by the electrostatic image of the head's charge behind the ground plane. Field calculations performed corroborate this hypothesis. Through the use of an equation of motion of the positive head, it is then possible to obtain an estimate of the magnitude of its charge. The charge thus obtained was found to be in the 2.5–26 nC range.

Comparison between low‐pressure laboratory discharges and atmospheric sprites

“…The sustained increment of the diameter of the peony discharge as a function of the inverse of pressure shown in Figure is similar to a trend found for streamers at slightly higher pressures [ Robledo‐Martinez and Garcia‐Villareal , ]. As the temperature at which the measurements were made remained nearly constant, the results show that the dimensions of the discharge clearly escalate as 1/ n , with n the gas density, in accordance with similarity laws [ Liu and Pasko , ].…”

Promoting volatile organic compounds removal by a magnetically assisted nanosecond pulsed gear‐cylinder dielectric barrier discharge

“…This is because the number of charges deposited on the inner wall of the quartz during the primary streamer propagation process is enhanced after introducing the magnetic field, and thus the time required for their dissipation increases accordingly. [ 36 ] Consequently, higher propagation velocity and longer duration of the primary streamer are obtained after applying the magnetic field.…”