Spark channel formation in helium-neon mixtures

Abstract
An image convertor is used to study the development of breakdown in a uniform field produced between two 5 cm plane electrodes. The discharge is simultaneously photographed with streak and still cameras. The formation and propagation of the ionization fronts are seen to move towards the cathode and the anode. Special attention is paid to the secondary avalanches that originate from the cathode and move towards the cathode ionizing wave. The densitometry of recordings gives rise to the characterization of the isodensity lines through which the authors obtain a detailed analysis of the spatio-temporal growth of light emission from the discharge.

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