Abstract
When a solid insulator in vacuum is subjected to a high-voltage pulse with short rise time, a low-resistance flashover path may be formed in a few nanoseconds across several centimeters of insulator surface. <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1,2</sup> Although the details of the breakdown mechanism remain obscure, it is generally accepted that field emission of electrons at the cathode-insulator-vacuum junction and insulator surface charging are involved. Experimental measurements of properties of the flashover during its development across the insulator surface, reported here, provide strong evidence that positive surface charging by secondary electron emission (SEE) plays a major role in the formation of the flashover path.
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