Characteristics of a discharge and a runaway electron beam initiated initiation by voltage pulse bursts

Abstract

Studies on the process of discharge formation and generation of runaway electrons in a “point–plane”gap filled with atmospheric pressure air under conditions of excitation by burst (from 10 to 103) ofhigh-voltage voltage pulses, following with a frequency in the range of 10–103 Hz. The studies werecarried out by measuring electrophysical characteristics with sensors with high time resolution andrecording the dynamics of plasma emission with high-speed equipment. It was found that increasingthe pulse repetition rate to 102 Hz reduces the amplitude of the current pulse of the runaway electronbeam up to 4 times, stabilization of which is observed by the 10th breakdown. As the frequencyincreases to 103 Hz, the amplitude of the beam current decreases by an order of magnitude or more. Asan explanation, a decrease in the breakdown voltage due to heating of the gas mixture, accumulationof nitrogen metastables, as well as vapors of materials from the pointed electrode in the discharge gapis proposed.