Mechanism of breakdown development in a gas in a subthreshold HF field

The development of a breakdown wave in subthreshold HF fields is considered for the condition that the field energy density exceed the plasma energy density E²/4 > nT. It is shown that the breakdown wave propagation mechanism is controlled by HF diffusion with a coefficient _iE²/4en. A model of breakdown development along the direction of the linear field polarization is constructed on the basis of this mechanism.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 8, pp. 55–60, August, 1989.