Structure of the surface streamers of an AC barrier corona in argon

• Published in: Plasma physics reports Vol. 30; no. 12; pp. 1012 - 1027
• Main Authors: Akishev, Yu. S., Aponin, G. I., Karal’nik, V. B., Monich, A. E., Trushkin, N. I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-12-2004
• Subjects: 70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY; ARGON; ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE; BRANCHING RATIO; CORONA DISCHARGES; CORRELATIONS; DIELECTRIC MATERIALS; DIELECTRIC PROPERTIES; ELECTRIC POTENTIAL; EMISSION SPECTRA; IMAGE TUBES; KHZ RANGE; PLASMA; PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS; PLASMA PRODUCTION; SURFACES
• ISSN: 1063-780X; 1562-6938
• DOI: 10.1134/1.1839955

Results are presented from experimental studies of the structure of an ac surface discharge excited by a metal needle over a plane dielectric surface. A barrier corona discharge was ignited in atmospheric-pressure argon at frequencies of the applied sinusoidal voltage from 50 Hz to 30 kHz. In experiments, the area of a dielectric covered with the discharge plasma increased with applied voltage. The discharge structure in diffuse and streamer modes was recorded using a digital camera and a high-speed image tube operating in a frame mode. It is found that, in the positive and negative half-periods of the applied voltage, the structure of the surface discharge is substantially different. The statistical characteristics of the branching surface streamers in the positive and negative half-periods are determined as functions of the voltage frequency. The most intense lines in the emission spectrum of the barrier corona are determined for both half-periods. The correlation between the dynamics of the emission intensity and the dynamics of the discharge current and voltage is investigated.