The development of single streamers started by laser light at high overvoltages in rare gases

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Investigations on the temporal development of single streamers performed with an electro-optical streak camera are reported. The starting electrons being released by the focused radiation of a giant-pulse ruby laser, any influence of the electrodes can be excluded. In rare gases the propagation of streamers was observed in a homogeneous field (gap distance 11 cm), beginning from low E/p and up to higher E/p corresponding to overvoltages of several hundred per cent. The velocities of different streamer stages are measured. Below a certain E/p value they are relatively low (some 108 cm s−1) and proportional to E/p. Above this value, a considerable increase in streamer velocity up to 5 × 109 cm s−1 is observed.