Formation of ac Discharges Between Glass Insulated Electrodes in Ne + 1% N2 Mixtures. I. Experiments and Analysis

Ac plasma displays make use of medium pressure ac discharges in Penning mixtures between insulated electrodes. Discharges in Ne + 1% N₂ with glazed electrodes are a suitable experimental model showing the characteristic pulse and continous discharge modes. The axial optical space time structure of sinus wave sustained model discharges are measured with a scanning device, obtaining characteristic phases of discharge formation. Application of luminous flux method for stationary and dynamic Townsend discharges yields the first Townsend ionization coefficient α, and the comparison of the optical structure of ac discharges with that of dc discharges allows to explain the axial structure and to estimate the space charge effects.