Effect of Micro Hydrodynamic Flow in Microgap Discharge at Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract

The effect of gas flow on the characteristics of a microgap discharge was investigated experimentally. In a gap length of 0.7 mm, the spatial structure and spectrum of light emitted from the discharges in helium gas were observed to be changed with the gas flow velocity. The transition of the discharge from a transversally uniform structure to a silent discharge structure in a high flow velocity region is found to be caused by air contamination in the gas flow channel. The edge effect on the transition is confirmed from the light emission pattern of the discharge.