Trichel Streamers and Their Transition into the Pulseless Glow Discharge

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Abstract
Trichel streamers and their transition into a negative pulseless glow were investigated by simultaneous recordings of the discharge current and light emission. Both the streamer and the glow modes of discharges have been found to develop in parallel at low cathode potentials. The transition to a pulseless glow mode depends upon the quenching effect of the ion space charge in particular field conditions. Critical values of the repetition rate of Trichel streamers were found to depend on the electrode slenderness and also on the resistance of the cathode to ion bombardment. Practically, a repetition rate exceeding 10 MHz is difficult to obtain under normal atmospheric conditions because of the rapid cathode deterioration.