Self-organization of the channel structure of a nanosecond diffuse discharge in a wire-plane electrode system

The results of an experimental study of the spatial structure of a high-voltage diffuse discharge in a wire-plane electrode system are presented. Self-organization of the discharge current channels into regular cells is observed in the plane perpendicular to the electric field vector. The dependences of the structural parameters of the discharge in centimeter-sized gaps on the interelectrode distance are studied at air pressures within the range 220–760 torr. Self-organization of the discharge structure is explained in terms of the electric interaction among charges of the diffuse channel heads during bridging of the gap.