On the mechanism of subnanosecond electron beam formation in gas-filled diodes

Subnanosecond electron beams formed in diodes filled in with a gas at atmospheric pressure and X-rays emitted from nanosecond-discharge plasmas are studied. Both phenomena hold promise for lasing technology. A three-group separation of fast electrons in a gas-filled diode is proposed. It is found that the duration of the beam current in a diode filled with air at atmospheric pressure does not exceed 0.1 ns. It is also shown that the amplitude of the beam current attains maximum with a certain delay after the application of voltage to the discharge gap. A current of ～400 A is detected behind the foil of a diode filled with air at atmospheric pressure. At a subnanosecond duration of the voltage pulse and the diffuse discharge, X-ray radiation is observed from the brightly glowing area of corona discharge. The mean steady-state velocities and energies of fast electrons in nitrogen are calculated. Head-on collisions are shown to control the constancy of the mean velocity of fast electrons for the field strengths E/p < 170 kV/(cm atm). At E/p > 170 kV/(cm atm), the escape of fast electrons takes place. It is particularly the head-on collisions that are decided to be responsible for the emission of X-rays from the bulk.     

Nanosecond discharge in sulfur hexafluoride and the generation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam

A discharge in the presence of a nonuniform electric field and the generation of an ultrashort avalanche electron beam (UAEB) are studied in the insulating gas SF₆ at the pressures 0.01–2.50 atm. High-voltage nanosecond pulses (about 150 and 250 kV) and the voltage pulses with an amplitude of 25 kV and a duration of tens of nanoseconds are applied across the gap. An electron beam is obtained behind the AlBe foil with a thickness of 45 μm at a sulfur hexafluoride pressure in a gas-filled diode of up to 2 atm. It is demonstrated that, at relatively high pressures (greater than 1 atm) and in the presence of high-voltage nanosecond pulses across the gap, the UAEB pulse FWHM increases. The spectra of the diffuse and contracted discharges in sulfur hexafluoride are measured.     

Investigation of the X-ray radiation produced by a diffusive discharge in the rod-plane geometry under atmospheric pressure

Spatial parameters of the X-ray radiation produced by a high-voltage nanosecond discharge evolving in air under atmospheric pressure in the rod (cathode)-plane electrode system with a 10-cm electrode spacing are studied experimentally. A ∼170-ns voltage pulse with an amplitude of ∼200 kV and 10-ns rise time is applied to the cathode. The photoelectronic method is used to study, under the same conditions, the integrated (over the gap) characteristics of the radiation, in particular, the duration of its generation. It is found that, when the size of the X-ray source is not smaller than that of the discharge region of diffusive luminescence, radiation from the cathode region of the gap is primarily observed (i.e., from the region where the electric field distribution is sharply inhomogeneous). The X-ray generation is usually observed after the bridging of the discharge gap, the X-ray pulse having a rise time of ∼3 ns, a duration of ∼10 ns, and an effective radiation energy of ∼6 keV.     

小型化电感隔离型Marx发生器的研制

随着脉冲功率技术的发展,纳秒脉冲电场被逐渐应用到等离子体水处理、不可逆电穿孔肿瘤消融等技术中。为了满足纳秒脉冲的应用需求,电源需要输出十几kV高压,拥有纳秒窄脉宽和快速的上升沿,同时尽量减小电源体积,降低成本。该纳秒脉冲电源采用电感隔离型Marx发生器结构,电路可以实现模块化叠加,电感隔离可以减少开关数量,抬升充电电压,以获得更高的电压输出。所设计的驱动电路仅需一路控制信号和一个直流供电模块,经功率放大和磁隔离后可同时控制所有放电管,该驱动电路结构简单、成本低、体积小,耐压水平高。所设计的24级电源样机,在50 kΩ阻性负载上,可输出0～14 kV电压,频率0.5～1 kHz,脉宽500 ns。该电源主电路的长宽高尺寸仅为23 cm×10 cm×12 cm。     

Time-resolved processes in a pulsed electrical discharge in argon bubbles in water

A phenomenological picture of a pulsed electrical discharge in gas bubbles in water is produced by combining electrical, spectroscopic, and imaging characterization methods. The discharge is generated by applying 1 m\mu s pulses of 5 to 20 kV between a needle and a disk electrode submerged in water. An Ar gas bubble surrounds the tip of the needle electrode. Imaging, electrical characteristics, and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopic data suggest a fast streamer propagation mechanism and the formation of a plasma channel in the bubble. Comparing the electrical and imaging data for consecutive pulses applied to the bubble at a frequency of 1 Hz indicates that each discharge proceeds as an entirely new process with no memory of the previous discharge aside from the presence of long-lived chemical species, such as ozone and oxygen. Imaging and electrical data show the presence of two discharge events during each applied voltage pulse, a forward discharge near the beginning of the applied pulse depositing charge on the surface of the bubble and a reverse discharge removing the accumulated charge from the water/gas interface when the applied voltage is turned off. The pd value of ~ 300–500 torr cm, the 1 μs long pulse duration, low repetition rate, and unidirectional character of the applied voltage pulses make the discharge process here unique compared to the traditional corona or dielectric barrier discharges.     

Spatiotemporal parameters of the X-ray radiation from a diffuse atmospheric-pressure discharge

A multichannel photoelectron technique is used to study the X-ray radiation emitted from a nanosecond diffuse discharge initiated in atmospheric pressure air in a point-plane electrode system with a gap width varying from 6 to 12 cm. The discharge is initiated by a voltage pulse with a moderate rate of rise of 1.1 × 10¹³ V/s and an amplitude of 160–280 kV. The radiation detected is found to be anisotropic bremsstrahlung of electrons accelerated to 30–80 keV in the near-cathode region early at the conduction phase. The observed features of the radiation and electrical behavior of the discharge are explained by strengthening of the near-cathode field owing to a short-term disappearance of the space-charge-related screening when the discharge passes from the bridging phase to the conduction one.     

Probe Measurements of Parameters of Streamers of Nanosecond Frequency Crown Discharge

Investigations of the parameters of single streamers of nanosecond frequency corona discharge, creating a voluminous low-temperature plasma in extended coaxial electrode systems, are performed. Measurements of the parameters of streamers were made by an isolated probe situated on the outer grounded electrode. Streamers were generated under the action of voltage pulses with a front of 50–300 ns, duration of 100–600 ns, and amplitude up to 100 kV at the frequency of 50–1000 Hz. The pulse voltage, the total current of the corona, current per probe, and glow in the discharge gap were recorded in the experiments. It was established that, at these parameters of pulse voltage, streamers propagate at an average strength of the electric field of 4–10 kV/cm. Increasing the pulse amplitude leads to an increase in the number of streamers hitting the probe, an increase in the average charge of the head of a streamer, and, as a consequence, an increase in the total streamer current and the energy introduced into the gas. In the intervals up to 3 cm, streamer breakdown at an average field strength of 5–10 kV/cm is possible. In longer intervals, during the buildup of voltage after generation of the main pulse, RF breakdown is observed at Е_av ≈ 4 kV/cm.     

全固态双极性纳秒脉冲电源研制及应用

研制了一种双极性交替的纳秒高压脉冲电源,进行了双极性纳秒脉冲放电产生等离子体研究。该电源先通过固态开关IGBT将直流电压截断成电压脉冲,通过可饱和脉冲变压器拓扑,实现升压并缩短脉冲上升沿。该电源可在一个周期内输出极性相反的2个脉冲,且时序可以灵活控制。通过优化调整器件参数,研制了两种不同输出性能参数的双极性纳秒脉冲电源:①峰值电压10 kV、爆发模式脉冲重复频率500 kHz（正负脉冲间隔2 μs）、连续重复频率1 kHz;②峰值电压25 kV、爆发重频200 kHz、连续重频600 Hz。测试电源的运行性能,发现电源存在温度升高的情况,但长时间（＞0.5 h）运行温度趋于稳定。10 kV电源连续运行在1 kHz时最高温度点50.5 ℃;25 kV电源连续运行在600 Hz时最高温度点60 ℃。利用该电源驱动线板电极阵列和表面介质阻挡放电结构,证实了该电源可以用于常压空气条件下产生大面积等离子体。     

Electromagnetic radiation of a nanosecond discharge in an open gas-filled diode

The properties of the discharge in and radiation from an open gas-filled diode to which high-voltage nanosecond pulses are applied from the RADAN-220 generator are studied. Electromagnetic radiation in the X-ray, UV, visible, and near-IR ranges of the spectrum, as well as high-power subnanosecond (0.5-to 0.7-ns-long) pulses of ultra-wide-band (UWB) electromagnetic radiation, are recorded when a diffuse discharge is initiated in atmospheric pressure air. For the coaxial cathode and anode, the open gas diode emits radially polarized UWB pulses, whereas for the cathode in the form of a segment, the UWB radiation is linearly polarized. The effective potential for both designs of the diode is ER = 6 kV. It is shown that the plasma in the discharge gap serves as a source of soft X rays and the metallic anode generates hard X rays.     

X-ray radiation from the volume discharge in atmospheric-pressure air

X-ray radiation from the volume discharge in atmospheric-pressure air is studied under the conditions when the voltage pulse rise time varies from 0.5 to 100 ns and the open-circuit voltage amplitude of the generator varies from 20 to 750 kV. It is shown that a volume discharge from a needle-like cathode forms at a relatively wide voltage pulse (to ≈60 ns in this work). The volume character of the discharge is due to preionization by fast electrons, which arise when the electric field concentrates at the cathode and in the discharge gap. As the voltage pulse rise time grows, X-ray radiation comes largely from the discharge gap in accordance with previous experiments. Propagation of fast avalanche electrons in nitrogen subjected to a nonuniform unsteady electric field is simulated. It is demonstrated that the amount of hard X-ray photons grows not only with increasing voltage amplitude but also with shortening pulse rise time.     

Compact 1000 pps high-voltage nanosecond pulse generator

A compact high-voltage nanosecond generator is described with pulse repetition rate of up to 1000 pps. The generator includes a 30-Ω coaxial forming line charged by a built-in Tesla transformer with high coupling coefficient, and a high voltage (N₂) gas gap switch with gas circulating between the electrodes. The maximum forming line charge voltage is 450 kV, the pulse duration is ~4 ns, and its amplitude for a matched load is up to 200 kV. The generator has been applied to create powerful sources of ultrawide-band electromagnetic radiation and nanosecond microwave pulses     

150kV脉冲X射线测试系统

基于Marx发生器原理设计了150kV脉冲X射线测试系统,该系统采用正负极充电的双边Marx发生器线路,Marx发生器设计为15级同轴结构,采用紧凑低电感设计来获得窄脉冲的输出。实验结果表明,X光机设计合理,获得了窄脉宽、高幅度的高压脉冲输出:在充电电压为20kV的情况下,X射线管电压150kV;X射线脉宽约60ns;25cm处剂量约7.8×10-6 C/kg;焦斑直径2.5mm。搭配计算机X射线摄影系统,成像面积可达30cm×40cm,分辨力大于1lp/mm,可以满足一般低能闪光照相的需要。     

Microstructure of the current channel of an atmospheric-pressure diffuse discharge in a rod-plane air gap

The multichannel structure of the current channel of an atmospheric-pressure diffuse discharge excited in a 10-cm rod-plane air gap was investigated using the imprint technique. A voltage pulse with an amplitude of 240 kV, a duration of 180 ns, and a rise time of 14 ns was applied to a 1-cm-diameter bullet-shaped cathode with a tip curvature radius of 0.2 mm; the discharge current reached 350 A. It is found that the diameter of the discharge channel in the anode plane varies in the range 2.5–9.7 mm from shot to shot. The overall imprint of the current channel is formed of 170–9500 imprints of microchannels with an average diameter of 5–20 μm. The parameters of the observed microstructure do not correlate with variations in the main electric characteristics of the discharge and the parameters of the generated X-ray pulse. It is shown that the formation of the microstructure is related to the onset of cathode-directed plasma structures developing from the anode. It is suggested that the same mechanism is responsible for both the formation of the current channels structure and the anode microstructure of diffuse nanosecond discharges developing in atmospheric-pressure air gaps with a highly nonuniform electric field.     

Investigation of a single barrier discharge in submillimeter air gaps. Nonuniform field

Pulse characteristics of single barrier discharges as well as parameters of charges accumulated on the surface of a dielectric under the atmospheric pressure in the “needle-(0.1–2.0)-mm air gap-polymer barrier-plane” system are investigated. It is found experimentally that for the positive polarity of the needle, the voltage for the discharge initiation is higher than in the case of the negative polarity by ～25–35%. The reversal of the needle polarity from negative to positive increases the amplitude of the discharge current and the accumulated surface charge by ～1.5–3 times. For the positive polarity of the needle, the discharge is governed by a streamer mechanism, while for the negative polarity, the discharge is initiated by the formation of a single Trichel pulse. The single pulse regime is observed for the discharge current up to a certain electrode gap d _CR. For the positive needle and for air gap width d _air > d _CR ≈ 1.5 mm, a multipulse burst corona is formed, while for the negative needle and d _air > d _CR ≈ 0.9 mm, a damped sequence of Trichel pulses evolves in the system.     

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采用纳秒脉冲电源,在静止空气条件下,开展了不同气压、放电距离和电压条件下的大体积纳秒脉冲放电实验研究.研究表明,当长度固定为200mm时,气压为250Pa时,随着电压的增大,放电区域从圆锥电极附近扩展到整个通道.当电压为12kV时,放电布满整个通道;随气压升高,初始放电电压增大.实验中发现在电压升高到一定程度时纳秒脉冲电离出现不稳定性,表现在气压相对较低时等离子体出现径向波动,气压相对较高时非平衡等离子体放电向电弧放电转变.分析认为,为了实现大体积均匀放电等离子体的产生,阻止放电不稳定性发生,应该采用上升沿时间更短,脉宽更小,电压更高的纳秒脉冲电源.     

Luminescence and generation of laser radiation in zinc selenide and cadmium sulfide single crystals exposed to high-voltage subnanosecond pulses

The action of high-voltage subnanosecond pulses on A^IIB^VI semiconductor compounds is studied. A negative pulse with a duration of up to 500 ps is applied to electrodes of a special shape. The pulse amplitude can be varied from 20 to 250 kV. Plane-parallel plates with a thickness of 1–2 mm made of bulk zinc selenide or cadmium sulfide single crystals are placed between the electrodes. Experiments are carried out in air without submerging single crystal plates in a liquid dielectric medium. As soon as a voltage pulse is applied, diverging discharges propagate from sharp edges of the negative electrode along electric field lines. With increasing voltage, generation of laser radiation is observed in the bulk of the semiconductor, displaying all its characteristic features, such as a sharp increase in the radiation power, narrowing the spectrum, and the radiation directionality. For zinc selenide at room temperature, the radiation characteristics are as follows: the wavelength is 480 nm, the radiation divergence is about 3°, and the peak pulse power is 600 W.     

Plasma supported combustion

Oxidation of molecular hydrogen and different hydrocarbons in stoichiometric mixtures with air and oxygen in the pulsed nanosecond discharges was studied at room temperature, and the detailed kinetics of the process has been numerically investigated. In the discharge afterglow, the reactions including electron-excited particles play a dominant role for the time up to 100 ns, ion–molecular reactions—for the time of microsecond range, and reactions including radicals mostly contribute for the time interval of several milliseconds. The principal role of processes with formation of excited components that support the development of the chain mechanism of oxidation has been shown. The spatial uniformity of the gas-mixture combustion initiated by a high-voltage nanosecond volume discharge is investigated at gas pressures of 0.3–2.4 atm and temperatures of 1000–2250 K. The self-ignition time and the time of discharge-induced ignition are determined. It is found that the discharge significantly (by 600 K) decreases the ignition temperature with very low energy in the discharge (10⁻² J/cm³). The influence of gas excitation by a pulsed nanosecond discharge with a high-voltage pulse amplitude up to 25 kV on the properties of a premixed propane–air flame has been investigated over a wide range of the equivalence ratios (0.4–5). It was experimentally found that the flame’s blow-off velocity increased more than twice at a discharge energy input less than 1% of the burner power. Efficient production of active radicals under the action of a barrier discharge has been observed. The increase in the flame’s propagation velocity is explained by the production of atomic oxygen in a discharge by the quenching of electronically excited molecular nitrogen N₂ and the dissociation of molecular oxygen on electron-impact. A numerical model has been developed, which describes the influence of pulsed electric discharges on the ignition, combustion, and flame propagation.     

不同条件下大气压脉冲弥散放电特性

利用上升沿约0.5 s、半高宽约6 s、幅值可达40 kV的微秒脉冲电源和上升沿约150 ns、半高宽约300 ns、幅值可达50 kV的纳秒脉冲电源激励大气压弥散放电,并分别采用刀型和锯齿电极放电。通过电压电流测量和发光图像拍摄,改变施加电压种类、脉冲重复频率、高压电极结构和气隙距离等参数,研究了不同条件下弥散放电特性。实验结果表明:纳秒脉冲电源和微秒脉冲电源均能在大气压空气中激励大面积的弥散放电,弥散放电面积最大达90 cm2;放电的均匀性受脉冲参数与电极形状影响显著,其中刀型电极条件下纳秒脉冲激励的弥散放电均匀性最佳;相同条件下纳秒脉冲弥散放电的瞬时功率大于微秒脉冲弥散放电,最高可达275 kW,而纳秒脉冲弥散放电的能量小于微秒脉冲弥散放电;保持其他条件不变,弥散放电传导电流幅值随着气隙距离的增加而降低,放电强度随着脉冲重复频率的增加而增强,弥散放电的工作电压范围随着脉冲重复频率的增加显著降低。因此在低频、刀型电极结构中易于获得均匀与较大工作电压范围的大气压弥散放电。     

Spectra of electrons and X-ray photons in a diffusive nanosecond discharge in air under atmospheric pressure

The spectra of electrons and X-ray photons generated in nanosecond discharges in air under atmospheric pressure are investigated theoretically and experimentally. Data for the discharge formation dynamics in a nonuniform electric field are gathered. It is confirmed that voltage pulses with an amplitude of more than 100 kV and a rise time of 1 ns or less causing breakdown of an electrode gap with a small-radius cathode generate runaway electrons, which can be divided into three groups in energy (their energy varies from several kiloelectronvolts to several hundreds of kiloelectronvolts). It is also borne out that the formation of the space charge is due to electrons appearing in the gap at the cathode and a major contribution to the electron beam behind the foil comes from electrons of the second group, the maximal energy of which roughly corresponds to the voltage across the gap during electron beam generation. X-ray radiation from the gas-filled diode results from beam electron slowdown both in the anode and in the gap. It is shown that the amount of group-3 electrons with an energy above the energy gained by runaway electrons (in the absence of losses) at a maximal voltage across the gap is much smaller than the amount of group-2 electrons.     

Possible application of a volume avalanche discharge initiated by an electron beam for designing a krypton dimer laser

The emissive and amplifying properties of volume nanosecond discharge plasma formed at high pressures in krypton have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. It is theoretically shown that lasing can be obtained in this type of discharge at krypton pressures exceeding 6–7 atm. In the discharge gap with a cathode of small curvature radius, volume discharge without preliminary ionization is obtained at a high pressure and intense krypton dimer emission that peaks at a wavelength of 146 nm is detected. It is shown that, upon excitation by a volume avalanche discharge initiated by an electron beam, no less than 90% of the energy in the range 120–540 nm is emitted by krypton dimers. At a krypton pressure of 1.5 atm, an energy of ～30 mJ of spontaneous emission into the total solid angle and a radiation pulse width at half maximum of ～240 ns are obtained.