Experimental study of atmospheric pressure single-pulse nanosecond discharge in pin-to-pin configuration

We present an experimental study of nanosecond high-voltage discharges in a pin-to-pin electrode configuration at atmospheric conditions operating in a single-pulse mode (no memory effects). Discharge parameters were measured using microwave Rayleigh scattering, laser Rayleigh scattering, optical emission spectroscopy enhanced with a nanosecond probing pulse, and fast photography. Spark and corona discharge regimes were studied for electrode gap sizes of 2–10 mm and a discharge pulse duration of 90 ns. The spark regime was observed for gaps <6 mm using discharge pulse energies of 0.6–1 mJ per mm of the gap length. Higher electron number densities, total electron number per gap length, discharge currents, and gas temperatures were observed for smaller electrode gaps and larger pulse energies, reaching maximal values of about 7.5 × 1015 cm−3, 3.5 × 1011 electrons/mm, 22 A, and 4000 K (at 10 μs after the discharge), respectively, for a 2 mm gap and 1 mJ/mm discharge pulse energy. An initial breakdown was followed by a secondary breakdown occurring about 30–70 ns later and was associated with ignition of a cathode spot and transition to a cathodic arc. A majority of the discharge pulse energy was deposited into the gas before the secondary breakdown (85%–89%). The electron number density after the ns-discharge pulse decayed with a characteristic time scale of 150 ns governed by dissociative recombination and electron attachment to oxygen mechanisms. For the corona regime, substantially lower pulse energies (∼0.1 mJ/mm), peak conduction current (1–2 A), electron numbers (3–5 × 1010 electrons per mm), and gas temperatures (360 K) were observed.