Related papers: The physics of streamer discharge phenomena
We introduce the generic structure of a growth model for branched discharge trees that consistently combines a finite channel conductivity with the physical law of charge conservation. It is applicable, e.g., to streamer coronas near tip or…
Streamer discharges are often operated in a repetitively pulsed mode and are therefore influenced by species left over from the previous discharge, especially free electrons and ions. We have investigated these effects by applying two…
Both fluid and particle models are commonly used to simulate streamer discharges. In this paper, we quantitatively study the agreement between these approaches for axisymmetric and 3D simulations of positive streamers in air. We use a…
A 2D approach is used to simulate the properties of positive and negative streamers emerging from a high-voltage electrode in a long (14 cm) air gap for standard pressure and temperature. The applied voltage varies from 100 to 500 kV. To…
Streamers often constitute the first stage of dielectric breakdown in strong electric fields: a nonlinear ionization wave transforms a non-ionized medium into a weakly ionized nonequilibrium plasma. New understanding of this old phenomenon…
Streamer discharges pose basic problems in plasma physics, as they are very transient, far from equilibrium and have high ionization density gradients; they appear in diverse areas of science and technology. The present paper focuses on the…
Photo-ionization is the accepted mechanism for the propagation of positive streamers in air though the parameters are not very well known; the efficiency of this mechanism largely depends on the presence of both nitrogen and oxygen. But…
Streamers, thin, ionized plasma channels, form the early stages of lightning discharges. Here we approach the study of extraterrestrial lightning by studying the formation and propagation of streamer discharges in various nitrogen-methane…
To find a viable alternative to SF6 with growing climate change regulations, proper evaluation of alternatives such as compressed air ought to be done. For medium voltage applications, the withstand voltage is used as the dimensioning…
The conditions were found when the gaseous medium demonstrates a unidirectional conductivity on a short time scale; a gas density discontinuity forms a kind of "gas-dynamic diode" that allows the plasma channel to propagate in one direction…
We study the effect of an inhomogeneous gas density on positive streamer discharges in air using a 3D fluid model with stochastic photoionization, generalizing earlier work with a 2D axisymmetric model by Starikovskiy and Aleksandrov (2019…
We investigate the branching of positive streamers in air and present the first systematic investigation of splitting into more than two branches. We study discharges in 100 mbar artificial air that is exposed to voltage pulses of 10 kV…
We investigate the dynamics of negative surface discharges in air through numerical simulations with a 2D fluid model. A geometry consisting of a flat dielectric embedded between parallel-plate electrodes is used. Compared to negative…
The numerical simulation of the development of a streamer discharge in a gap with an external longitudinal magnetic field was used to demonstrate the self-focusing of such discharges. Self-focusing is caused by a sharp deceleration of the…
Positive streamer discharges have been studied and modelled extensively in air. Here we study positive streamers in CO$_2$ with and without oxygen admixtures; they are relevant for current high voltage technology as well as for discharges…
Positive streamers are thought to propagate by photo-ionization whose parameters depend on the nitrogen:oxygen ratio. Therefore we study streamers in nitrogen with 20%, 0.2% and 0.01% oxygen and in pure nitrogen, as well as in pure oxygen…
Sprite discharges are electrical discharges that initiate from the lower ionosphere during intense lightning storms, manifesting themselves optically as flashes of light that last a few milliseconds. This study unravels sprite initiation…
Positive streamers need a source of free electrons ahead of them to propagate. A streamer can supply these electrons by itself through photo-ionization, or the electrons can be present due to external background ionization. Here we…
Streamers are the first stage of sparks and lightning; they grow due to a strongly enhanced electric field at their tips; this field is created by a thin curved space charge layer. These multiple scales are already challenging when the…
The growth of streamer discharges is determined at their heads, for individual streamers as well as in collective phenomena, such as streamer trees or coronas or streamer bursts ahead of lightning leaders. Some properties of the streamer…