Formation of an Apokampic Discharge Under Atmospheric Pressure Conditions

Abstract

A new phenomenon is observed in a spark discharge developing under normal conditions in air in a discharge circuit with a capacitive decoupling. It consists in the current channel bending becoming a source of a 4–6 cm long plasma jet directed across the channel. The phenomenon is termed an apokampic discharge or an apokamp. Its emission spectrum contains the bands of electron-vibration transitions from the second positive group of molecular nitrogen. The conditions of formation of an apokamp are experimentally determined. A conclusion is drawn that in order construct a physical model of an apokamp, one has to take into account: 1) the presence of a local gas overheating in the site of the current channel bending, 2) the similarity of the current and voltage time dependences in the corona discharge and in the current channel (becoming a source of an apokamp), and 3) the length of the apokamp plasma jet.