Thermal ionization instability of an air discharge plasma in a microwave field

Results are presented from experimental studies of the initial stage of an air discharge initiated in a linearly polarized quasi-optical microwave beam. The discharge was excited at an air pressure at which the electron-neutral collision frequency in the discharge plasma was considerably higher than the circular frequency of the electromagnetic field and at a microwave field amplitude close to the threshold field for air breakdown. The experiments revealed relatively bright plasma channels stretched along the microwave electric field. The development rate of these channels and their characteristic transverse dimensions are estimated. A comparison of the experimental data and theoretical estimates indicates that the channels observed arise due to the onset of thermal ionization instability in the microwave discharge plasma.     

Deeply undercritical microwave discharge excited by the field of a quasi-optical electromagnetic beam in a supersonic air jet

Electric discharge in a supersonic air jet is studied. It is ignited in a linearly polarized quasi-optical microwave electromagnetic beam the initial field intensity of which is much lower than the breakdown level. Electric breakdown is initiated by a tubular electromagnetic vibrator, one end of which has spikes and is covered by a quartz tube. Atmospheric air enters into a low-pressure working chamber through the inner channel of the vibrator. As a result, an immersed supersonic air jet forms in the chamber at the outlet from the quartz tube. A microwave discharge ignited in this jet is “attached” to aft spikes of the vibrator. The energy deposit into the discharge plasma and the effective area of energy interaction between the discharge and excited microwave field are estimated from the temperature and stagnation pressure distributions in the wake of the discharge.     

宽气压范围空气中微波击穿电场的计算公式

为了简便快捷地计算微波击穿电场,依据电子扩散模型的基本理论,结合气体放电的基本参量,应用特征扩散长度的概念,给出了适合于规则结构微波部件的击穿电场的计算方法。为避免各种气体参数的不确定性对计算准确度的影响,对等效直流电场与特征扩散长度之间的实验关系进行了拟合,并根据等效直流电场的定义,得出了一个适用于较高气压范围的击穿电场计算表达式。为了将该计算表达式扩展到更低的气压范围,综合考虑了电子扩散模型和基于二次电子发射现象的真空微放电机理,引入了一个合理形式的等效扩散长度,进一步给出了适合于更广气压范围的微波击穿电场的计算表达式,计算结果更符合A.D.Macdonald的实验结果。     

波导内场增强法测量微波气体击穿

 提出并研究了波导内场增强法测量微波气体击穿的实验方案,在密闭波导内加金属针实现电场增强,通过调节微波源辐射功率及两针距离,使微波传输达到气体击穿的条件。介绍了实验原理及诊断方法,进行了频率2.86 GHz、脉宽180 ns的微波在0.1 MPa空气中的击穿实验,分析了实验中得到的典型波形。结果表明实验现象与设计吻合,验证了该方案研究微波气体击穿的可行性。     

Breakdown in air in a rising microwave field

Results are presented from studies of a high-pressure electrodeless breakdown in air at the focus of a standing wave in a high-Q quasi-optical two-mirror resonator pumped by single microwave pulses. In the experiment, the breakdown occurred at the front of the pulse of the resonator field. The breakdown field substantially exceeded the critical level and, under fixed conditions, showed a scatter from pulse to pulse. It is shown that the experimentally found excess in the threshold breakdown field over the critical level is due to the fact that the resonator field increases as a discharge plasmoid forms during breakdown and that the appearance of an electron initiating breakdown in a gas is a random event.     

Multipoint Ignition of a Gas Mixture by a Microwave Subcritical Discharge with an Extended Streamer Structure

The results of experimental studies on using an electrical discharge with an extended streamer structure in a quasioptical microwave beam in the multipoint ignition of a propane–air mixture have been reported. The pulsed microwave discharge was initiated at the interior surface of a quartz tube that was filled with the mentioned flammable mixture and introduced into a microwave beam with a subbreakdown initial field. Gas breakdown was initiated by an electromagnetic vibrator. The dependence of the type of discharge on the microwave field strength was examined, the lower concentration threshold of ignition of the propane–air mixture by the studied discharge was determined, and the dynamics of combustion of the flammable mixture with local and multipoint ignition were compared.     

高功率微波脉冲大气击穿概率研究

高功率微波大气击穿实验中,入射功率在大气击穿阈值附近,即使外界条件相同,大气击穿可能发生也可能不发生。针对这一问题,基于大气击穿机理,将大气击穿分为首个电子出现在击穿区域和高功率微波电场导致雪崩击穿两个过程。针对第一个过程,建立了改进的电子连续性方程,引入平均电子产生率分析大气击穿发生前电子出现的概率问题;针对第二个过程,建立了高功率微波大气雪崩击穿概率模型。综合两个过程,建立了高功率微波大气击穿概率模型,仿真了不同压强条件下大气击穿的概率,并与相关实验数据进行了比对,仿真结论与实验数据吻合较好。     

Ps four-wave mixing measurements of electric field in a ns pulse discharge in a hydrogen diffusion flame

Time-resolved electric field in ns pulse discharge plasmas generated in room air and in an atmospheric pressure hydrogen diffusion flame has been measured by ps four-wave mixing, for plane-to-plane electrode geometry. Electric field is put on the absolute scale using the Laplacian field measured before breakdown. The results show that peak electric field during breakdown in the flame, approximately 40?kV/cm, is significantly lower compared to that in room air, 75?kV/cm, due to higher temperature of combustion products. In both cases, peak electric field is higher compared to DC breakdown field. Both in air and in the flame, the electric field follows the applied voltage before breakdown and decreases rapidly after breakdown, due to charge separation and plasma self-shielding. The electric field in air is compared with the predictions of an analytic model of ns pulse breakdown, showing good agreement between the predicted and the measured breakdown field. The model also predicts earlier breakdown as well as breakdown voltage reduction as the temperature is increased, in qualitative agreement with the experimental data. The use of the present ps four-wave mixing diagnostics for measurements of electric fields below ～20?kV/cm in atmospheric pressure flames is challenging, due to low signal-to-noise. The sensitivity of the present diagnostics is controlled by the high temperature and low N₂ fraction in the combustion product mixture, as well as by the limited bandwidth of the Stokes beam generated by the stimulated Raman cell, which provides access only to several rotational levels of nitrogen molecules. The present diagnostics will have much better sensitivity in high-pressure flames, since the four-wave mixing signal scales as the squared number density of nitrogen.     

Pulsed microwave discharge in atmospheric air in the focus of a two-mirror resonator

Free-localized pulsed microwave discharge in atmospheric air in the focus of an open two-mirror high-Q resonator excited by linearly polarized electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength of 4.3 cm is described. This discharge is analogous to the previously studied streamer resonance microwave discharge ignited under similar conditions but with an electromagnetic radiation wavelength of 8.9 cm. Starting from a certain overcritical electric field, the discharge plasma channel has a high-temperature core.     

Measurement of intense microwave field patterns using a neon glow indicator lamp

A novel method using small neon glow lamps with electrodes is developed for measuring intense microwave field patterns. When the lamp axis coincide with the electric field direction, the lamp discharge starts at the feeblest microwave electric field strength. Therefore, the lamp axis shows the field direction and the discharge starting indicates the field strength. The field strength for starting the microwave discharge is less than the strength for AC discharge, because of its low loss discharge mechanism. In the experiments using a microwave oven, it has been demonstrated again comparing with the simulated results that the method is able to use for measuring the intense electric field strength and direction.     

Microwave breakdown in slots

The properties of microwave-induced breakdown of air in narrow metallic slots are investigated, both theoretically and experimentally, with emphasis on factors important for protection against transmission of incident high-power microwave radiation. The key factors investigated are breakdown power threshold, breakdown time, peak-leakage power, and total transmitted energy, as functions of incident pulse shape and power density. The theoretical investigation includes estimates of the electric field intensification in narrow slots and basic breakdown plasma modeling. New results important for application to the high-power microwave field, such as the influence of pulse shape on breakdown time and peak-leakage power, are presented. The experimental investigation comprises a set of slot breakdown experiments at atmospheric pressure, which are analyzed to extract key parameters, such as transmission cross section, breakdown time, peak leakage power, and transmitted energy. The experimental data is compared and shown to be in good agreement with results obtained in the theoretical investigation.     

Investigation of the ozone formation process in a nanosecond microwave discharge in air and oxygen

Results are presented from an investigation of the dynamics of ozone formation in a freely localized discharge generated by a periodic train of 3-cm nanostructured microwave pulses in oxygen and air at a pressure p=3–30 Torr. Conditions for the efficient generation of ozone in air with the minimum production of nitrogen oxides are demonstrated experimentally. It is shown that when the microwave pulse repetition frequency is high, heating of the gas and the buildup of nitrogen oxides in the discharge in air reduce the ozone formation efficiency while under prolonged exposure the ozone formed initially is destroyed. The energy cost of forming ozone in oxygen and air is determined as a function of the microwave pulse length and repetition frequency and the gas pressure. The lowest energy cost of forming a single ozone molecule in these experiments is 16 eV per molecule for a discharge in air and 4 eV per molecule in oxygen. It was observed that circulating the gas through the discharge zone enhances th ozone formation efficiency. It is shown that there are optimal conditions for ozone formation as a function of the reduced electric field in the plasma. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 9–18 (March 1997)     

大气击穿对高功率微波天线的影响

 高功率微波大气传播过程中，天线附近的功率密度最大，容易发生强电离或大气击穿，由此产生“尾蚀效应”等非线性衰减，因此，传输过程中产生的大气击穿限制了高功率微波天线的最大发射功率。通过分析天线近场模型，研究了矩形口径天线和圆口径天线的近场轴向功率密度分布，得到了不同口面场分布下天线的最大归一化功率密度及其最大值所处的位置，并结合大气击穿功率密度阈值计算出锥照圆口径天线的最大发射功率约为148.47 GW。     

Microwave breakdown of air initiated by a short electromagnetic vibrator

The electrical breakdown of air (under a pressure from several tens of Torr to several hundreds of Torr) is initiated in a linearly polarized quasi-optical microwave beam using a rounded-end cylindrical metallic electromagnetic vibrator placed parallel to the electric component of the microwave field. The vibrator is much shorter than the wavelength of the field. The field strength at the top of the vibrator as a function of its length is determined. An empiric expression relating the field strength at the top with the vibrator length-to-diameter ratio is found for the vibrator length range studied. The practicability of locally measuring the field in a quasioptical microwave beam is substantiated. The idea is to determine the maximal air pressure at which electrical breakdown of air initiated by a short vibrator placed at a given point of the beam takes place.     

Ionization-overheating instability threshold in the electrodeless microwave discharge plasma

Experiments with a pulsed freely localized electrodeless microwave discharge in air under a pressure corresponding to the ascending branch of the pressure dependence of the breakdown field are described. The discharge is initiated in a focused quasi-optical electromagnetic beam. The minimal threshold values of the electromagnetic field (for which a brighter plasma channel extended along the field is formed in the initially spatially homogeneous diffuse discharge plasma) are determined by varying air pressure for several fixed values of this field in the focal region of the beam. In accordance with the prevailing theory, this phenomenon is interpreted as the result of evolution of ionization-overheating instability in the microwave discharge plasma.     

FDTD方法分析高功率微波对大气的电离与击穿

 应用麦克斯韦方程和电子流体方程,利用时域有限差分方法(FDTD)计算模拟了高功率微波(HPM)对大气的电离与击穿;该方法用瞬时电场代替等效电场,时刻更新大气电离击穿过程中的电离频率和碰撞频率,消除了近似解析法未考虑大气电离击穿过程中电场幅度衰减而引起的误差,计算得到击穿阈值大小随海拔高度的变化趋势与文献所得的变化趋势相吻合,其值略大于近似解析解;并通过仿真计算分析了HPM脉冲幅值、脉宽以及海拔高度等参数对大气击穿的影响。     

垂直相交高功率微波大气击穿的理论研究

将描述电磁波的Maxwell方程组和简化的等离子体流体方程组耦合数值求解, 对垂直相交高功率微波电离大气产生等离子体的过程进行了模拟研究. 对于相干(同频)垂直相交高功率微波束, 只有当初始自由电子出现在(或到达)强场(干涉加强)处, 自由电子才会被加速并与本底气体发生碰撞电离, 在放电的开始阶段, 等离子体区域主要沿着强场区运动, 并逐渐形成一个由分立的丝状等离子体组成的带状区域. 这个带状等离子体区域足够长以后, 由于其对电磁波的吸收和反射, 其将等离子体两侧的两束微波分割开. 随着时间的推移, 在等离子体附近的强场区, 不断出现新的等离子体带. 比较发现, 当其他条件相同时, 相干微波束产生的等离子体区域比非相干微波束大. 关键词： 相交高功率微波束 大气击穿     

微波气体放电等离子体与余辉中的动理学研究

研究了微秒脉冲聚焦微波束气体放电等离子体的动理学过程。数值模型基于自洽求解的微波电场亥姆霍兹方程、粒子连续性方程以及电子能量、气体分子振动能量和平动能量的平衡方程,并与等离子体动理学反应互相耦合。对比了国外报道的近期两项相关实验:次MW级X波段9.4 GHz微波氮气击穿和MW级W波段110 GHz微波大气击穿。在次MW级实验中,计算所得电子激发态N₂(C3Π_u)的数密度与实验所测发射光谱第二正带隙的强度一致;在MW级实验中,模拟结果重复了发射光谱测量所得振动温度和平动温度对放电气压的依赖关系。结果揭示了上述模拟和实验符合的内在物理机制。     

A New Method for Measuring Breakdown and Maintenance Fields in Microwave Discharges

A new experimental approach for comparative measurements of breakdown and maintenance electric fields in microwave discharges is described. The method is based on the analysis of the RF pulses transmitted to a matched load, in absence and in presence of the discharge, by the applicator employed for coupling the RF power to the gas under investigation. Results on breakdown and maintenance field in microwave discharges in nitrogen, at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, for flow and non-flow conditions, in the pressure range 0.5 to 6 torr, are reported.     

Detachment of electrons from atmospheric oxygen molecules in a high electric field

The results of experiments on the electrical breakdown of air in a quasi-optical microwave beam with a deeply subcritical initial field have been reported. Breakdown has been initiated by a cylindrical vibrator with spherically rounded ends and a vibrator with a tapered end. The experimental data suggest that the amount of initial breakdown-initiating electrons in a breakdown area can be provided by the detachment of electrons from atmospheric oxygen molecules. The effect of detachment depends on the field strength.