Studying emission from a surface discharge in dry air

Abstract

We have studied the emission from an electric discharge developing in dry air over the surface of a ceramic plate at the edge of a thin aluminum electrode under the action of an ac voltage with a frequency of 5–14 kHz. The intensity of emission from surface microdischarges was measured for the second positive (λ= 337.1 nm) and first negative (λ = 391.5 nm) systems of nitrogen using a monochromator and a photoelectron multiplier. Using a lens and a system of slits, the radiation flux was scanned at a spatial resolution of 0.2 and 2 mm with respect to the width and length, respectively, of the discharge channel, which allowed the structure of emission from microdischarges to be analyzed and the position of the discharge channel relative to the barrier surface to be determined.