Streamer head structure: role of ionization and photoionization

Abstract

Results from experiments and numerical modelling of streamer propagation are presented. The 2D hydrodynamic numerical description of the pulsed discharge based on the local ionization and photoionization models adequately describes the streamer shape and dynamics over a wide range of pressures and voltages. This work presents a method for imaging the instantaneous emission distribution in the streamer head. A method for restoring the electrodynamic radius of the streamer head was developed on the basis of the streamer head images that were obtained with subnanosecond exposure time. The electrodynamic radius has been determined as the distance between the maxima of the electric field at the position where the streamer head transforms into the streamer channel. The dependence of the electrodynamic radius on voltage and pressure has been determined. We show that a 2D numerical model using hydrodynamic approximation predicts the streamer characteristics with an accuracy of about 15% in the 0.5–1 atmosphere pressure range and up to 40% in the 0.2–0.3 atmosphere pressure range for a voltage of U from 20 kV up to 40 kV in the 30 and 40 mm discharge gap.