Electron trapping in radio-frequency atmospheric-pressure glow discharges

In this letter, the authors present experimental evidence of electron trapping in radio-frequency (rf) atmospheric-pressure glow discharges. By linking electron density to nanosecond plasma images and optical emission spectroscopy, they show that electron trapping occurs under most discharge conditions. The level of electron trapping increases with increasing discharge current or/and increasing excitation frequency, and manifests itself in the change of the differential conductivity at the point of the gas breakdown. Finally, they demonstrate that electron trapping is largely related to whether the half rf period is shorter than the electron transition time across the electrode gap. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.