Comparison of simulations and experiments on the axial distributions of the electron density in a point-to-plane streamer discharge at atmospheric pressure

Abstract

The axial distributions of the electron density in primary streamer discharge for atmospheric-pressure air are simulated and compared with experimental data obtained by Inada et al (2017 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 50 174005) using a highly temporally and spatially resolved measurement method for Shack–Hartmann-type laser wavefront sensors. The simulation is performed for the same electrode configuration, applied voltage, and gas component as the previously reported experiments. The simulation results show that the dissociative recombination reaction of electrons with cluster ion has an important influence on the axial distributions of the electron density during the primary streamer phase. However, the simulation results also indicate that the effect of the dissociative recombination reaction with cluster ion is limited to the primary streamer phase and the two-body attachment reaction of the electrons with O2 is dominant for the decrease in electron density occurring during the secondary streamer phase. These findings contribute to improving the accuracy of the chemical reaction model of atmospheric-pressure streamer discharge, facilitating the development of atmospheric-pressure plasma applications.