Radial behavior of the pulsed dielectric-barrier discharge in atmospheric helium

The radial behavior of the pulsed dielectric-barrier discharge in atmospheric helium is studied by a two-dimensional, self-consistent fluid model. It is found that the two discharges ignited during one voltage pulse can possess different radial behaviors, and the discharge behavior is determined by the electron density distribution right before this discharge is ignited. The electron density distributions before the two discharges start depend on the time intervals between two discharges and their previous discharge processes. If the electron density distribution is radially uniform at the end of the previous discharge, the shorter the time interval between two discharges is, the more uniform the electron density distribution before the next discharge is, and thus the more homogenous the subsequent discharge becomes. In pulsed discharge, the time intervals between two discharges are mainly determined by the duration and repetition frequency of applied voltage pulse. These results are further supported by the investigation of the discharge behaviors under different pulse durations and repetition frequencies. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4773044]