Abstract
It is traditionally accepted to define the dielectric strength of air as an electric field corresponding to the balance between the rates of impact ionization and electrons’ attachment to neutrals. Its reduced value is known to be about 110 Td regardless of the altitude above the mean sea level. In this study, the altitude profile of the critical electric field of atmospheric air in the 0–40 km altitude range is specified. Unlike the conventional approach, a wide range of additional plasma-chemical processes occurring in atmospheric air, such as electron detachment from negative ions and ion-ion conversion is taken into account. Atmospheric air is considered to be a mixture of N2:O2 = 4:1 containing a small amount of chemically active small gas components, such as water vapor, atomic oxygen, ozone, and several types of nitrogen oxides. It is shown that the dielectric strength of air falls noticeably compared to its conventional value. The results of the study can be important to solve the problems of initiation and propagation of lightning discharges, blue starters, and blue jets.
Highlights
The breakdown electric field, which separates the dielectric state of the medium from the ionized one, is an important property of atmospheric air
Breakdown electric fields obtained for different atmospheric air compositions
We developed a numerical model which takes into account a wide list of plasma-chemical processes and the presence of atmospheric small gas components (SGCs) to show that the critical electric field, at which charged particles multiplication begins, is noticeably lower than the conventional breakdown threshold and that the gap between their values increases with increasing altitude
Summary
The breakdown electric field, which separates the dielectric state of the medium from the ionized one, is an important property of atmospheric air. It is traditionally accepted to define the breakdown threshold Eb taking into account only ionization (production of electrons) and attachment (the loss of electrons) processes. This concept involves a single equation for the electron concentration [e] temporal evolution: Accepted: 12 August 2021 ∂[e] = (νi − νa )[e], ∂t. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Where νi and νa are the ionization and attachment frequencies, respectively, which are both sharp functions of the electric field [1].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
